This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 16, 2026. The task was to connect Muhsin Muhammad to Jalen Thompson with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Nebraska alum.” Par was 3 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 2 links.
Muhsin Muhammad (WR) played in the NFL from 1996 to 2009. Career stops: the Carolina Panthers (1996 to 2009) and the Chicago Bears (2005 to 2007). College: Michigan State. 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.
Jalen Thompson (DB) played in the NFL from 2019 to 2026. Career stops: the Arizona Cardinals (2019 to 2025) and the Dallas Cowboys (2026). College: Washington State. 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.
Muhsin Muhammad and Jalen Thompson 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, 232 satisfy it. The best known are Ndamukong Suh (DT, 2010 to 2022), Roger Craig (RB, 1990 to 1993), Lavonte David (OLB, 2012 to 2025), Ahman Green (RB, 1998 to 2009), Kyle Vanden Bosch (DL, 2001 to 2012), and Grant Wistrom (DL, 1998 to 2006).
23 of those players share a team or college with Muhsin Muhammad, and 30 share one with Jalen Thompson. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Muhsin Muhammad 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.