For a supposedly meaningless game, this one sure had plenty of Dolphins subplots.

No wonder Sean Smith, their young cornerback, said it felt “like a movie” at times during Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Jets.

There was the Jason Taylor story line.

The Dolphins wanted to send their all-time greatest defensive player out on a winning note, and the final score certainly made that postgame ride on his teammates’ shoulders that much more memorable.

There was the Todd Bowles story line.

Yes, the Dolphins’ interim coach is an extreme longshot to be the long-term successor to Tony Sparano, but the players certainly made their case by going 2-1 on his behalf, all against division foes.

Then there was the rivalry angle.

“Just End Their Season,” read a sign one fan held aloft.

The first letters of each word were scrawled a little larger, spelling out J-E-T-S.

“No Playoffs For Rex Ryan,” read another sign at Sun Life Stadium.

Even if they had pulled this one out, the Jets needed a lot of help to reach the postseason for a third straight season under their blustery coach.

They didn’t get the Titans’ loss in Houston they needed to keep hope alive.

They did get the Bengals’ loss to the Ravens and the Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs they needed.

However, before any of those games went final, the Dolphins did their part to extinguish the hopes of their fiercest rival.

They even had Santonio Holmes huffing his way out of the Jets’ offensive huddle in frustration by the end.

“Definitely a great feeling, bro,” Dolphins defensive lineman Tony McDaniel said. “That was our motivation coming into the game, to knock our division rivals out of the playoffs. We got the deal done and kicked their butts, and we’re excited about that.”

Bowles had opened the week by laying out that very challenge for his battered team: Ground the Jets.

“They’re playing us to make the playoffs,” Bowles had said, via McDaniel. “It’s all over ESPN. We need to go out there and kick their butts and finish the year with a win.”

For a few hours Sunday, that 0-7 start that torpedoed this Dolphins season didn’t sting anymore.

Bill Ingram/The Palm Beach Post

Brandon Marshall stiff-arms Jets safety Eric Smith after catching a pass in the second half of the Dolphins’ win Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012.

Make what you will of this: Of the four members of the Dolphins organization most identified with the franchise’s past four seasons, general manager Jeff Ireland will be the only one actively doing his job come Sunday’s season finale against the Jets.

Director of football operations Bill Parcells began emptying his office before the 2010 season. Tony Sparano got relieved of the coach job two weeks ago. And left tackle Jake Long, the regime’s first draft pick, No. 1 overall in the 2008 draft that perhaps dictated the course of the franchise, might be out until the start of the 2012 season with a torn biceps injury.

Long came out of Saturday’s loss to New England with an arm injury, which ESPN first reported was a torn bicep. Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles didn’t really dispute that Monday when asked if that was Long’s injury.

“We’re still running the tests,” Bowles said. “I’m hearing rumors that he did, but we won’t know anything until Wednesday. Honestly, we were off [Sunday].”

It’s been a rough last season and a half for Long, who was ranked as the league’s 28th-best player in an NFL Network players’ poll a year ago.

He finished the 2010 season with a shoulder injury that at times almost removed the use of one lengthy arm, a key in pass protection.

Various injuries hampered him throughout the preseason, and back problems have caused him to miss the first two games of his career this season.

John Jerry, a guard by trade, handled the left tackle spot against Buffalo on Dec. 18 and Saturday after Long left the game.

“I think John did an adequate job,” Bowles said. “You always miss a presence like Jake. There’s not a big drop-off there with John. We did some things. We ran the ball well. Just thought those guys in the second half on the other side made the plays that we made in the first half.”

While the offensive line jumbles haven’t been a detriment to the running game — the Dolphins are ninth in rushing, and Reggie Bush ran for his 203 yards against Buffalo with Long out — the pass protection could be charitably described as “porous.”

Granted, pass protection includes tight ends chipping or kept in to block, blitz pickups by tight ends or backs and the quarterback not holding the ball like it’s a winning Powerball ticket.

But 51 sacks allowed overall, one short of tying the franchise record set in 2004, and a league-worst ranking in sacks per pass play allowed, starts with the offensive line.

“You’ve got to throw the ball in this league,” Bowles said. “You just can’t win with running the football. We’re not worried about the sack record or anything. We’re worried about protecting the quarterback. So from that standpoint, we just have to do a better job of keeping [quarterback] Matt [Moore] upright in the pocket.”

Back when they shared a stadium with the Marlins, with a different starting quarterback under a different coach, the Dolphins opened this season by getting into a shootout with New England.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady brought a bigger gun than Chad Henne, more bullets in Wes Welker and a pair of three-syllable surnamed tight ends and strafed the Dolphins to a near-NFL record degree. The damage got cornerback Benny Sapp cut and started the boulder rolling down the hill on both the season and Dolphins coach Tony Sparano’s employment.

The offense never would be better in the first seven games. And it was 14 points short of being good enough.

Now, the Dolphins come at the Patriots with quarterback Matt Moore and more elements not in play the first time around — running back Reggie Bush making opponents look like Oregon State, wide receiver Brandon Marshall making more than pedestrian plays and a better red zone offense. That last part is in jeopardy as key red zone cog tight end Anthony Fasano sustained a mild concussion last Sunday in Buffalo and will miss Saturday’s game. But Jake Long, who sat out against the Bills with a back injury, is expected to start against the Patriots barring a setback overnight.

“I would say we have a lot more chemistry [than the first game],” Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess said. “Obviously that first game, you don’t know what to expect. Now, we’ve got a feel for what type of team we are. We know what type of team they are. From that standpoint, it’s going to be a good matchup. We’ve got to come out swinging.”

Keeping up

So, if New England puts up 30 points, which the Patriots have done each week excepting a midseason three-game stretch, the Dolphins think they can keep pace.

The Dolphins rolled up 488 yards of offense, picked up 25 first downs and ran 73 plays, all still highs for the season, in the September 38-24 loss to New England. Part of the reason they had so many plays, however, is the Patriots gobbled land like a deep-pocketed developer, averaging 8.8 yards per play.

“We understand we need to outscore them to win the game, which is kind of a ‘duh’ answer,” Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline said. “But you are kind of going against their offense.

“Overall, as an offense, we take care of playing their defense and leave it at that,” Hartline continued. “We have faith in our defense if we score points, our defense will do a good job of stopping them, at least limiting them.”

Hartline said he thought the running game made the most strides this season since the first game. Everybody knows the run-the-ball, shrink-the-number-of-possessions, keep-Brady-on-the-sideline theory. With Bush just 27 yards from his first 1,000-yard season and backed up ably by rookie Daniel Thomas’ more muscular style, the Dolphins can do that.

Back in September, neither runner was a factor. Bush, in his first game with the Dolphins, ran for 38 yards on 11 carries. Thomas didn’t play with an injured hamstring.

“I think the first game was obviously we dug a pretty deep hole for ourselves. Obviously, naturally we had to get some quick scores. Our game plan is going to be a little different. In that respect I think we’re not going to try to dig a deep hole again,” Bush laughed. “I think we’re just going to go out there and play Dolphin football. Obviously, we’re going to run the ball. That’s what we do. That’s what we love to do and that’s what we pride ourselves in. I don’t think that’s any secret.”

Points important

Then again, look at the Dolphins averages per run — 6.7 last week against Buffalo, 4.2 in a loss to Philadelphia, 4.8 against Oakland — and it’s not as if they’re not capable of the home run play via the ground. And, they’ll gladly forsake possession for points.

“They’re going to get some plays, but in a toe-to-toe game, our defense will take care of their offense,” Hartline said. “So, it’s scoring the points to back up our defense.”