This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 19, 2026. The task was to connect Terry McLaurin to Micah Parsons with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a LSU or Ole Miss alum.” Par was 3 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 2 links.
Terry McLaurin (WR) played in the NFL from 2019 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Washington Commanders (2019 to 2026). College: Ohio 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.
Micah Parsons (LB) played in the NFL from 2021 to 2025. Career stops: the Dallas Cowboys (2021 to 2024) and the Green Bay Packers (2025). College: Penn State. 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.
Terry McLaurin and Micah Parsons 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 with two accepted schools. The chain has to pass through an alum of either one. Of the 17,975 players in the pool, 523 satisfy it. The best known are Patrick Willis (ILB, 2007 to 2014), Eli Manning (QB, 2004 to 2019), Patrick Peterson (CB, 2011 to 2023), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, 2014 to 2026), Justin Jefferson (WR, 2020 to 2026), and Ja'Marr Chase (WR, 2021 to 2026).
35 of those players share a team or college with Terry McLaurin, and 45 share one with Micah Parsons. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Terry McLaurin 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.