Monday Night Football: more often than not, the climax of an NFL week. This Monday, October 4, is no different. Two tenacious teams square off at 8:30 p.m., beginning the end of Week 4 play.

The New England Patriots will face the Miami Dolphins in the front of a crowd of thousands at Sun Life Stadium, not to mention the millions more who will watch the ESPN broadcast eagerly from the living room couch.

The last game between the two teams was on December 6, 2009 and went Miami’s way, as they squeaked by with a 22-21 victory at Land Shark Stadium (now Sun Life Stadium).

Even with that victory, the Dolphins finished the season 7-9. They started the season with three straight losses and finished the season the same way.

The Patriots, though, finished 10-6 and returned to the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.

Hoping to return to the postseason, the Dolphins added star players on both sides of the ball. On offense, they added two-time Pro-Bowler Brandon Marshall to give them a reliable option at wide receiver.  Marshall has caught over 100 receptions for the past three seasons, so expectations are sky-high for this 26-year-old. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft, a fourth-round pick out of UCF. After four years, Marshall returns to Florida.

Defensively, the Miami Dolphins upgraded with the addition of  linebacker Karlos Dansby, who rejoins his former Auburn University teammate, running-back Ronnie Brown.

Dansby is a proven leader in the NFL, considering his six solid years with the Arizona Cardinals. The 28- year-old now provides leadership to young defensive starters, such as  cornerback Vontae Davis, the Dolphins’ first-round draft choice from a year ago. Davis seems much improved, as he’s played well so far.

The Patriots are a pass-heavy team that displays a spread offense that uses five wide receivers. The matchup is a battle of Michigan alumni, quarterbacks Tom Brady and Chad Henne. No doubt interesting.