This NFL puzzle ran on Oct 24, 2026. The task was to connect Deuce McAllister to Anthony Barr with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Houston or Utah alum.” Par was 3 links.
Deuce McAllister (RB) played in the NFL from 2001 to 2008. A one-team career, spent with the New Orleans Saints (2001 to 2008). College: Mississippi. 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.
Anthony Barr (OLB) played in the NFL from 2014 to 2023. Career stops: the Minnesota Vikings (2014 to 2023) and the Dallas Cowboys (2022). College: UCLA. 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.
Deuce McAllister and Anthony Barr 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 with two accepted schools. The chain has to pass through an alum of either one. Of the 17,971 players in the pool, 271 satisfy it. The best known are Mike Anderson (RB, 2000 to 2007), Alex Smith (QB, 2005 to 2020), Steve Smith (WR, 2001 to 2016), Eric Weddle (FS, 2007 to 2019), Ed Oliver (DL, 2019 to 2026), and Antowain Smith (RB, 1997 to 2005).
14 of those players share a team or college with Deuce McAllister, and 14 share one with Anthony Barr. Both ends are about equally connected, so either direction works.
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.
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