This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 16, 2026. The task was to connect Armand Membou to Chimere Dike with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Virginia Tech alum.” Par was 3 links.
Armand Membou (OL) played in the NFL from 2025 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the New York Jets (2025 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.
Chimere Dike (WR) played in the NFL from 2025 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Tennessee Titans (2025 to 2026). College: Florida and Wisconsin. 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.
Armand Membou and Chimere Dike 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, 164 satisfy it. The best known are Bruce Smith (DL, 1990 to 2003), Mike Vick (QB, 2001 to 2016), DeAngelo Hall (CB, 2004 to 2017), Tremaine Edmunds (LB, 2018 to 2026), Kyle Fuller (CB, 2014 to 2022), and Brandon Flowers (CB, 2008 to 2016).
12 of those players share a team or college with Armand Membou, and 10 share one with Chimere Dike. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Chimere Dike.
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.