This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 13, 2026. The task was to connect CeeDee Lamb to Darius Slayton with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a LSU alum.” Par was 3 links.
CeeDee Lamb (WR) played in the NFL from 2020 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Dallas Cowboys (2020 to 2026). College: Oklahoma. 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.
Darius Slayton (WR) played in the NFL from 2019 to 2025. A one-team career, spent with the New York Giants (2019 to 2025). 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.
CeeDee Lamb and Darius Slayton 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, 318 satisfy it. The best known are Patrick Peterson (CB, 2011 to 2023), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, 2014 to 2026), Justin Jefferson (WR, 2020 to 2026), Ja'Marr Chase (WR, 2021 to 2026), Joe Burrow (QB, 2020 to 2026), and Jayden Daniels (QB, 2024 to 2026).
19 of those players share a team or college with CeeDee Lamb, and 24 share one with Darius Slayton. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from CeeDee Lamb 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.