This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 26, 2026. The task was to connect Adam Trautman to Will Anderson Jr. with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Pittsburgh alum.” Par was 3 links.
Adam Trautman (TE) played in the NFL from 2020 to 2026. Career stops: the New Orleans Saints (2020 to 2022) and the Denver Broncos (2023 to 2026). College: Dayton. 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.
Will Anderson Jr. (DL) played in the NFL from 2023 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Houston Texans (2023 to 2026). College: Alabama. Honors in the dataset: Defensive Rookie of the Year. 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.
Adam Trautman and Will Anderson Jr. 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, 198 satisfy it. The best known are Larry Fitzgerald (WR, 2004 to 2020), Darrelle Revis (CB, 2007 to 2017), Curtis Martin (RB, 1995 to 2005), Aaron Donald (DT, 2014 to 2026), Dan Marino (QB, 1990 to 1999), and Russ Grimm (OL, 1990 to 1991).
21 of those players share a team or college with Adam Trautman, and 11 share one with Will Anderson Jr.. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Will Anderson Jr..
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.