This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 12, 2026. The task was to connect Billy Ray Smith Jr. to Matt Milano with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Alabama alum.” Par was 3 links.
Billy Ray Smith Jr. (LB) played in the NFL from 1990 to 1992. A one-team career, spent with the Los Angeles Chargers (1990 to 1992). College: Arkansas. 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.
Matt Milano (LB) played in the NFL from 2017 to 2025. A one-team career, spent with the Buffalo Bills (2017 to 2025). College: Boston College. 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.
Billy Ray Smith Jr. and Matt Milano 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, 320 satisfy it. The best known are Julio Jones (WR, 2011 to 2023), Derrick Henry (RB, 2016 to 2026), Shaun Alexander (RB, 2000 to 2008), DeMeco Ryans (MLB, 2006 to 2016), Alvin Kamara (RB, 2017 to 2026), and Derrick Thomas (LB, 1990 to 1999).
15 of those players share a team or college with Billy Ray Smith Jr., and 15 share one with Matt Milano. Both ends are about equally connected, so either direction works.
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.
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