This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 17, 2026. The task was to connect Sean Taylor to Karlos Dansby with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player with 100+ career receiving touchdowns.” Par was 5 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 3 links.
Sean Taylor (FS) played in the NFL from 2004 to 2007. A one-team career, spent with the Washington Commanders (2004 to 2007). College: Miami. 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.
Karlos Dansby (OLB) played in the NFL from 2004 to 2017. Career stops: the Arizona Cardinals (2004 to 2017), the Miami Dolphins (2010 to 2012), the Cleveland Browns (2014 to 2015), and the Cincinnati Bengals (2016). College: Auburn. 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.
Sean Taylor and Karlos Dansby 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 stat milestone objective. At least one player in the chain has to have cleared the career or season mark named in the objective. Of the 17,971 players in the pool, 11 satisfy it. The best known are Larry Fitzgerald (WR, 2004 to 2020), Tony Gonzalez (TE, 1997 to 2013), Randy Moss (WR, 1998 to 2012), Marvin Harrison (WR, 1996 to 2008), Jerry Rice (WR, 1990 to 2004), and Terrell Owens (WR, 1996 to 2010).
0 of those players share a team or college with Sean Taylor, and 3 share one with Karlos Dansby. With one side that thin, the route has to be built outward from the other end.
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.