This NFL puzzle ran on Nov 1, 2026. The task was to connect Roquan Smith to Bo Jackson with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Penn State alum.” Par was 3 links.
Roquan Smith (LB) played in the NFL from 2018 to 2026. Career stops: the Chicago Bears (2018 to 2022) and the Baltimore Ravens (2022 to 2026). College: Georgia. 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.
Bo Jackson (RB) played in the NFL from 1990. A one-team career, spent with the Las Vegas Raiders (1990). 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.
Roquan Smith and Bo Jackson 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 17,973 players in the pool, 296 satisfy it. The best known are Saquon Barkley (RB, 2018 to 2026), Micah Parsons (LB, 2021 to 2025), Andre Johnson (OL, 1996 to 1998), Marcus Allen (DB, 2018 to 2022), Mike Munchak (OL, 1990 to 1993), and Kerry Collins (QB, 1995 to 2011).
34 of those players share a team or college with Roquan Smith, and 19 share one with Bo Jackson. The Finish is the tighter side, so it often pays to work backward from Bo Jackson.
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.