How to Play Gridiron Chain

Gridiron Chain links NFL players through the teams they share. The computer never names players — you do.

The core loop

• Type any NFL player's name to start. The game gives you one team from that player's history — a college or a pro team.
• Name a different player who also played for that team.
• The game then hands you one of that player's other teams, and the chain keeps going.
• You can't reuse a player you've already named.

Entering names

• Start typing and a dropdown of matching players appears. Click a name, or use the up/down arrow keys and press Enter.
• Spelling is forgiving — accents, punctuation, and suffixes like "Jr." are ignored.
• If a name isn't recognized, it isn't in the database (every current NFL roster is loaded).

The three modes

• Play Unlimited: Keep one chain alive as long as you can. You get 60 seconds per turn and can Pause anytime. A wrong answer, a timeout, or giving up ends the run. Your longest chain is your best score.
• Play Connect the Dots: Race to reach all 32 NFL teams in one chain. Teams light up green as you hit them. No turn timer and no pause — take time to plan. A total-time clock runs and saves your fastest completion. Reach it anytime with the button at the top of the page.
• Play Daily: One puzzle a day, the same for everyone. Connect today's 5 target teams (2 college — one Power 4 school plus one other Division I school — and 3 NFL) in a single chain. No turn timer and no pause — just a total-time clock. One attempt per day. Win to build a daily streak, and share your time with the Share Result button.

Winning & ending

• If a team you're handed has no players left to name, you've cleared it — you beat the computer and win.
• In Unlimited, running out of time or giving up reveals every player you could have named for that team.
• Connect the Dots and Daily end the moment you reach all their target teams.

Good to know

• Start with a random player: after choosing Play Unlimited or Play Connect the Dots, a popup asks whether the game should pick a random player to open the chain or you name the first player yourself. (Daily always has you choose your own.)
• College teams are the richest connectors — many players share a school.
• A team counts as "connected" the moment the chain routes you to it.
• Best scores, fastest times, and your daily streak are saved in your browser.

Got it