This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 9, 2026. The task was to connect Robert Griffin III to Rashee Rice with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Ohio State alum.” Par was 3 links.
Robert Griffin III (QB) played in the NFL from 2012 to 2020. Career stops: the Washington Commanders (2012 to 2015), the Cleveland Browns (2016), and the Baltimore Ravens (2018 to 2020). College: Baylor. Honors in the dataset: Offensive Rookie of the Year. 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.
Rashee Rice (WR) played in the NFL from 2023 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Kansas City Chiefs (2023 to 2026). College: SMU. 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.
Robert Griffin III and Rashee Rice 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, 346 satisfy it. The best known are Cris Carter (WR, 1990 to 2002), Ezekiel Elliott (RB, 2016 to 2024), Joey Bosa (DL, 2016 to 2025), Nick Bosa (DL, 2019 to 2026), Eddie George (RB, 1996 to 2004), and Joe Burrow (QB, 2020 to 2026).
61 of those players share a team or college with Robert Griffin III, and 10 share one with Rashee Rice. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Rashee Rice.
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.