Rules FAQ

Which players and seasons are included?

Only NFL appearances from the 1999 season onward count. See Data Sources for current season coverage.

What counts as a valid player link?

Two players link when source data shows that both appeared for the same NFL team in the same season. Regular-season and postseason appearances count. A roster-only, camp, practice-squad, or inactive listing without an appearance does not count.

How does a player chain work?

Try connecting Tom Brady to Brett Favre through Randy Moss. This example uses two links:

1. Tom Brady to Randy Moss: both appeared for the New England Patriots in 2007. Moss is now the current player.
2. Randy Moss to Brett Favre: both appeared for the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. The chain now ends at Favre.

Brady and Favre do not share a qualifying team-season in Savanzo's dataset. Moss connects them through two different stops in his career. Only neighboring players need a shared team-season; the whole chain does not have to belong to one team or one year.

Both links are in Savanzo's data. For the football history behind them, see the Patriots' 2007 game report and the Vikings' account of Moss playing with Favre.

Why might a familiar-looking link be rejected?

• Same team, different seasons. Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck both played for Indianapolis, but they have no shared team-season. Remembering the same uniform is not enough.
• On the roster, without an appearance. A camp, practice-squad, or inactive listing does not establish a link. Both players need a recorded appearance for that team-season.
• A connection before 1999. The shared season must be 1999 or later, even if both players had longer careers.
• A player already used. After Brady to Moss, you cannot go straight back to Brady. The team-season connection exists, but Brady is already part of the chain.

Historical coverage can be incomplete. If a link appears wrong, check the data coverage and known limitations, then report it with both player names, the team, the season, and a supporting source.

Can players or teams be reused?

Each player can be used only once within a head-to-head match or Daily Quiz route. Teams and team-seasons may be used more than once.

How do head-to-head matches work?

Players alternate extending the chain from the current player. Each turn starts with 24 seconds. An invalid selection is rejected without passing the turn, so the current player's clock continues. A player loses by running out of time, resigning, or receiving a current player with no legal continuation.

How can I find more links during a match?

Start with one team and season you remember from the current player's career. Think through teammates across positions, then check whether those players have already been used. A receiver can link to a defender or a lineman; the rule is a shared team-season, not a shared position.

Players who appeared for several teams can give you more directions to consider. In the example, Moss takes the chain from New England to Minnesota. A familiar long-serving teammate can also be useful when you know that roster well. Neither approach guarantees a win: the remaining unused players and your opponent's knowledge matter.

Use your opponent's turn to recall the current player's career, then reassess after their move. On your turn, prioritize a link you can place in a specific season. An invalid guess uses up clock time.

How do power-ups work?

Each human player receives one use of each power-up in rated Quick Play:

• Time Out: On your turn with one to eight seconds remaining, reset the clock to 12 seconds.
• Blitz: During your opponent's turn while more than 12 seconds remain, cut their clock to 12 seconds.
• Punt: On your turn, hand the current player to your opponent and start their normal 24-second turn. Another Punt cannot be used until a valid move clears the previous Punt state.
• Spy: On your turn, reveal the known career teams for the current player without passing the turn.

Power-ups are not available in Private Games.

Are Private Games ranked?

No. Private Games use the standard linking, reuse, and turn-clock rules, but they do not change MMR and do not include power-ups.

How does Daily Quiz differ?

Daily Quiz asks you to connect a starting player to a target player. There is one official run per day. An invalid link adds five seconds rather than ending the run. Official ranking favors fewer valid moves first and lower adjusted time second. The server timer continues through refreshes and disconnects.

How should I plan a Daily Quiz route?

Think about the careers at both ends. Which teams and seasons connect to the starting player, and which connect to the target? Look for an unused player who joins those groups, as Moss does for Brady and Favre in the worked example. Planning from the target can help, but you still submit each move forward from the current player.

A familiar teammate is useful only if the route eventually reaches the target. Before adding a detour, consider whether that player opens a shorter connection. Move count ranks ahead of adjusted time, while each invalid link adds five seconds. Once your run starts, the timer keeps running while you think or leave the page.

What is practice mode?

Practice mode lets you replay previous quizzes without changing official leaderboard results.