This NFL puzzle ran on Nov 5, 2026. The task was to connect Roquan Smith to Brenton Strange with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a player with 300+ career passing touchdowns.” Par was 4 links. A search of the full player pool found a shortest chain of 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.
Brenton Strange (TE) played in the NFL from 2023 to 2026. A one-team career, spent with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2023 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.
Roquan Smith and Brenton Strange 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 stat milestone objective. At least one player in the chain has to have cleared the career or season mark named in the objective. Of the 17,975 players in the pool, 14 satisfy it. The best known are Peyton Manning (QB, 1998 to 2015), Drew Brees (QB, 2001 to 2020), Brett Favre (QB, 1991 to 2010), Matthew Stafford (QB, 2009 to 2026), John Elway (QB, 1990 to 1998), and Philip Rivers (QB, 2004 to 2025).
1 of those players share a team or college with Roquan Smith, and 0 share one with Brenton Strange. With one side that thin, the route has to be built outward from the other end.
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.