This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 19, 2026. The task was to connect Kaelon Black to Daron Payne with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player with 10,000+ career receiving yards.” Par was 3 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 2 links.
Kaelon Black (RB) played in the NFL from 2026. A one-team career, spent with the San Francisco 49ers (2026). College: Indiana and James Madison. 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.
Daron Payne (DL) played in the NFL from 2018 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Washington Commanders (2018 to 2026). College: Alabama. 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.
Kaelon Black and Daron Payne 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, 51 satisfy it. The best known are Larry Fitzgerald (WR, 2004 to 2020), Tony Gonzalez (TE, 1997 to 2013), Andre Johnson (WR, 2003 to 2016), Randy Moss (WR, 1998 to 2012), Calvin Johnson (WR, 2007 to 2015), and Marvin Harrison (WR, 1996 to 2008).
7 of those players share a team or college with Kaelon Black, and 12 share one with Daron Payne. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Kaelon Black 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.