This NFL puzzle ran on Sep 21, 2026. The task was to connect Malik Nabers to Myles Garrett with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a N.C. State alum.” Par was 3 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 2 links.
Malik Nabers (WR) played in the NFL from 2024 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the New York Giants (2024 to 2026). College: LSU. 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.
Myles Garrett (DL) played in the NFL from 2017 to 2026. Career stops: the Cleveland Browns (2017 to 2025) and the Los Angeles Rams (2026). College: Texas A&M. Honors in the dataset: Defensive 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.
Malik Nabers and Myles Garrett 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, 161 satisfy it. The best known are Philip Rivers (QB, 2004 to 2025), Torry Holt (WR, 1999 to 2009), Russell Wilson (QB, 2012 to 2025), Mario Williams (DE, 2006 to 2016), Bradley Chubb (LB, 2018 to 2026), and Mario Williams (WR).
19 of those players share a team or college with Malik Nabers, and 14 share one with Myles Garrett. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Myles Garrett.
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.