This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 4, 2026. The task was to connect Aidan Hutchinson to Paulson Adebo with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Purdue alum.” Par was 3 links.
Aidan Hutchinson (DL) played in the NFL from 2022 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Detroit Lions (2022 to 2026). College: Michigan. As the Start of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Paulson Adebo (DB) played in the NFL from 2021 to 2026. Career stops: the New Orleans Saints (2021 to 2024) and the New York Giants (2025 to 2026). College: Stanford. As the Finish of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Aidan Hutchinson and Paulson Adebo do not share a team or a college, so there is no direct link. You need at least one connector in between, and the objective decides which ones are allowed to count.
This was a college objective. The chain has to pass through a player from the named school at some point, not necessarily as a link to the Start or Finish. Of the 17,973 players in the pool, 141 satisfy it. The best known are Drew Brees (QB, 2001 to 2020), Rod Woodson (DB, 1990 to 2003), Ryan Kerrigan (OLB, 2011 to 2021), Mike Alstott (RB, 1996 to 2006), Cliff Avril (DE, 2008 to 2017), and Bernard Pollard (SS, 2006 to 2014).
12 of those players share a team or college with Aidan Hutchinson, and 13 share one with Paulson Adebo. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Aidan Hutchinson narrows the options fastest.
One shortest chain found by searching the full player pool, preferring the best known names at every step:
Many other chains work. Scoring rewards lower-profile connectors, so the best-known route is rarely the highest scoring one.
Want more? Browse the full NFL puzzle archive, read the strategy guides, or see how scoring works on How to Play.