This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 17, 2026. The task was to connect DJ Moore to Aidan Hutchinson with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an Oregon alum.” Par was 3 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 2 links.
DJ Moore (WR) played in the NFL from 2018 to 2026. Career stops: the Carolina Panthers (2018 to 2022), the Chicago Bears (2023 to 2025), and the Buffalo Bills (2026). College: Maryland. 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.
Aidan Hutchinson (DL) played in the NFL from 2022 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Detroit Lions (2022 to 2026). College: Michigan. 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.
DJ Moore and Aidan Hutchinson 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 17,975 players in the pool, 220 satisfy it. The best known are Justin Herbert (QB, 2020 to 2026), DeForest Buckner (DL, 2016 to 2026), Gary Zimmerman (OL, 1990 to 1997), Haloti Ngata (DT, 2006 to 2018), Jonathan Stewart (RB, 2008 to 2018), and Arik Armstead (DT, 2015 to 2026).
32 of those players share a team or college with DJ Moore, and 12 share one with Aidan Hutchinson. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Aidan Hutchinson.
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.