This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 9, 2026. The task was to connect Rhamondre Stevenson to Cooper Kupp with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Alabama alum.” Par was 3 links.
Rhamondre Stevenson (RB) played in the NFL from 2021 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the New England Patriots (2021 to 2026). College: Oklahoma and Cerritos College. 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.
Cooper Kupp (WR) played in the NFL from 2017 to 2026. Career stops: the Los Angeles Rams (2017 to 2024) and the Seattle Seahawks (2025 to 2026). College: Eastern Washington. Honors in the dataset: Offensive Player 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.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Cooper Kupp 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).
23 of those players share a team or college with Rhamondre Stevenson, and 24 share one with Cooper Kupp. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Rhamondre Stevenson 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.
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