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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. I saw both SEATTLE and WASHINGTON in the clues, and sitting here, in Seattle, Washington, I tried to put them in the same group. Spoiler: It did not work. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Gridiron protection.
Green group hint: Fire it in there.
Blue group hint: The envelope, please.
Purple group hint: Scary weather.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Parts of a football helmet.
Green group: Baseball pitches.
Blue group: Oscar nominees for playing a boxer.
Purple group: ____ storm.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 3, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is parts of a football helmet. The four answers are chin strap, face mask, padding and shell.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is baseball pitches. The four answers are changeup, cutter, slider and splitter.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Oscar nominees for playing a boxer. The four answers are De Niro, Stallone, Swank and Washington.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ storm. The four answers are court, Hannah, Red and Seattle.
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