This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 23, 2026. The task was to connect Brian Burns to Armand Membou with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Mississippi alum.” Par was 3 links.
Brian Burns (LB) played in the NFL from 2019 to 2026. Career stops: the Carolina Panthers (2019 to 2023) and the New York Giants (2024 to 2026). College: Florida State. 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.
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 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.
Brian Burns and Armand Membou 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, 205 satisfy it. The best known are Patrick Willis (ILB, 2007 to 2014), Eli Manning (QB, 2004 to 2019), Tim Bowens (DL, 1994 to 2004), Evan Engram (TE, 2017 to 2026), A.J. Brown (WR, 2019 to 2026), and DK Metcalf (WR, 2019 to 2026).
30 of those players share a team or college with Brian Burns, and 5 share one with Armand Membou. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Armand Membou.
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.