Sitting earlier this month in the Hattie Marie’s restaurant he owns in Las Vegas, former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall showed off his disfigured right index finger and smiled. On Sept. 17, 2015, in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium, after Broncos quarterback Peyton Ma nning threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Emanuel Sanders to tie the score 24-24 with 40 seconds left, Kansas City had first-and-10 at its 20 with 36 seconds remaining. Many observers thought the Chiefs would take a knee and prepare for overtime. Instead, quarterback Alex Smith handed off to running back Jamaal Charles on a draw. “I punched the ball out from Jamaal Charles and we won that game, and that was (a great memory) even though I messed my finger up for life on that play,” Marshall said. After Marshall knocked the ball loose on a 1-yard gain by Charles, defensive back Bradley Roby scooped up the fumble and ran 21 yards for the decisive touchdown with 27 seconds left in a 31-24 Denver win. The Broncos went on that season to defeat Carolina 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. “That actually helped us get the No. 1 seed (in the AFC) and ultimately we won the Super Bowl,’’ Marshall said. Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) celebrates with teammates after he scored a touchdown on a fumble by Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Denver won 31-24. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) On the play, Marshall dislocated his finger and eventually had four surgeries due to torn ligaments. But would he change anything about that play? “I wouldn’t,’’ said Marshall, who played for the Broncos from 2013-18. “Not at all.” That game a decade ago remains the last time Denver won in Kansas City, a streak that has reached nine straight losses. But there’s a good chance the Broncos (12-3) will break the drought Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium. They are a 13.5-point favorite against the Chiefs (6-9), who have fallen apart this season after winning nine straight AFC West titles and will start third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun after starter Patrick Mahomes and backup Garner Minshew sustained knee injuries. That 2015 triumph, when the Broncos overcame a 14-0 second-quarter deficit, was their last before the Chiefs began a 16-game winning streak in the series. The streak finally was snapped when the Broncos won 24-9 at home on Oct. 29, 2023. “That is crazy that it’s been 10 years and we haven’t won in Kansas City since then,’’ said Kayvon Webster, a Broncos defensive back from 2013-16. “But that was a great play. It was a game-changing play. We had a lot of amazing plays for us that season to go to the Super Bowl.” Webster, who lives in South Florida, continues to keep up with Marshall. He has seen Marshall’s damaged finger often since both have retired, the last time when the Broncos held a 10-year reunion in Denver in October for the Super Bowl-winning team. “It does look crazy, but those are the kind of injuries you suffer when playing this violent game,’’ Webster said. “But would you change any of that, getting a broken, discombobulated finger for the rest of your life, for the memory of winning a Super Bowl ring?” Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) tosses a wristband toward the stands as he walks off the field following the Broncos’ 31-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The Broncos won 31-24. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) Marshall wouldn’t even though the injury caused him plenty of discomfort after that dramatic play. He ended up in 2015 starting all 16 Denver regular season and all three playoff games. “I dislocated (the finger while forcing the fumble), but then just weeks after that I kept dislocating it and stuff like that and I just ended up tearing a bunch of ligaments,’’ Marshall said. “First, they were buddy taping it and that just wasn’t enough. So then they ended up finding a hard shell (cast) and that worked for me (for the rest of the season). After the season, I had surgery.” That was the first of Marshall’s four surgeries. The finger remains bent but Marshall doesn’t mind showing it off. “It’s a moment that we always revisit,’’ said Juwan Thompson, a Broncos running back from 2014-16 who lives in the Atlanta area and has regularly visited his good friend in Las Vegas. “It’s a joking matter. “You’ve kind of got like 9.5 fingers but he smiles through it. It’s just a reminder of what he had to go through to be successful in the league. That’s a memory that he shares. I’m sure he wouldn’t change it for the world.” Shortly after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50, Marshall signed a four-year, $32 million contract extension. Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) runs for a touchdown after recovering a ball fumbled by Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The Broncos won 31-24. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) “That play probably played a part in him getting paid,’’ Thompson said. The money from the extension eventually helped Marshall get established in his business career. He opened Hattie Marie’s on Aug. 26, 2024, and the restaurant that specializes in Texas barbecue and Cajun food so far has been a success. The restaurant is open seven days a week, and Marshall is there six or seven days in most weeks. If anyone wants to see his battle-scarred finger, he glady will extend his right hand. ...read more read less