This NFL puzzle ran on Nov 4, 2026. The task was to connect Tony Boselli to Theo Johnson with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include an MVP winner.” Par was 4 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 3 links.
Tony Boselli (OL) played in the NFL from 1995 to 2001. A one-team career, spent with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995 to 2001). College: USC. 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.
Theo Johnson (TE) played in the NFL from 2024 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the New York Giants (2024 to 2026). College: Penn State. 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.
Tony Boselli and Theo Johnson 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 an award objective. At least one player in the chain has to be a winner of the named honor. Of the 17,975 players in the pool, 28 satisfy it. The best known are Peyton Manning (QB, 1998 to 2015), LaDainian Tomlinson (RB, 2001 to 2011), Brett Favre (QB, 1991 to 2010), Marshall Faulk (RB, 1994 to 2005), Emmitt Smith (RB, 1990 to 2004), and Kurt Warner (QB, 1998 to 2009).
1 of those players share a team or college with Tony Boselli, and 2 share one with Theo Johnson. The Start is the tighter side, so working forward from Tony Boselli 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.