This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 13, 2026. The task was to connect Nick Bolton to Jeremy Hill with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Maryland alum.” Par was 3 links.
Nick Bolton (LB) played in the NFL from 2021 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Kansas City Chiefs (2021 to 2026). College: Missouri. 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.
Jeremy Hill (RB) played in the NFL from 2014 to 2018. Career stops: the Cincinnati Bengals (2014 to 2017) and the New England Patriots (2018). College: LSU. 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.
Nick Bolton and Jeremy Hill 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 17,971 players in the pool, 168 satisfy it. The best known are Shawne Merriman (OLB, 2005 to 2012), Stefon Diggs (WR, 2015 to 2026), Vernon Davis (TE, 2006 to 2019), Boomer Esiason (QB, 1990 to 1997), DJ Moore (WR, 2018 to 2026), and Yannick Ngakoue (DL, 2016 to 2024).
5 of those players share a team or college with Nick Bolton, and 25 share one with Jeremy Hill. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Nick Bolton 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.