This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 18, 2026. The task was to connect Ja'Marr Chase to Carlton Davis III with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an MVP winner.” Par was 3 links.
Ja'Marr Chase (WR) played in the NFL from 2021 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Cincinnati Bengals (2021 to 2026). College: LSU. 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.
Carlton Davis III (DB) played in the NFL from 2018 to 2026. Career stops: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018 to 2023), the Detroit Lions (2024), and the New England Patriots (2025 to 2026). College: Auburn. 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.
Ja'Marr Chase and Carlton Davis III 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 an award objective. At least one player in the chain has to be a winner of the named honor. Of the 17,973 players in the pool, 28 satisfy it. The best known are Peyton Manning (QB, 1998 to 2015), LaDainian Tomlinson (RB, 2001 to 2011), Brett Favre (QB, 1991 to 2010), Marshall Faulk (RB, 1994 to 2005), Emmitt Smith (RB, 1990 to 2004), and Kurt Warner (QB, 1998 to 2009).
1 of those players share a team or college with Ja'Marr Chase, and 5 share one with Carlton Davis III. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Ja'Marr Chase 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.