This NFL puzzle ran on Nov 3, 2026. The task was to connect Jalon Walker to Johnathan Joseph with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a USC alum.” Par was 3 links.
Jalon Walker (LB) played in the NFL from 2025. A one-team career, spent with the Atlanta Falcons (2025). 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.
Johnathan Joseph (CB) played in the NFL from 2006 to 2020. Career stops: the Cincinnati Bengals (2006 to 2010), the Houston Texans (2011 to 2019), the Arizona Cardinals (2020), and the Tennessee Titans (2020). College: South Carolina and Coffeyville CC. 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.
Jalon Walker and Johnathan Joseph 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 17,975 players in the pool, 317 satisfy it. The best known are Troy Polamalu (SS, 2003 to 2014), Junior Seau (LB, 1990 to 2009), Marcus Allen (RB, 1990 to 1997), Brian Cushing (OLB, 2009 to 2017), Anthony Munoz (OL, 1990 to 1993), and Carson Palmer (QB, 2003 to 2017).
15 of those players share a team or college with Jalon Walker, and 58 share one with Johnathan Joseph. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Jalon Walker 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.