Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Jan. 18 #482
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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is pretty fun. It helps if you know a lot of last names from the sports world. If you’re having trouble solving today’s riddle but still want to solve it, read on for tips and answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the Times-owned subscription sports journalism site. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it online for free.
Learn more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle exits beta
Tips for Connections Groups: Sports Today’s Edition
Here are four clues for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ordered from the easiest yellow group to the difficult (and sometimes weird) purple group.
Yellow group index: More than 10 teams are now in this group.
Green group index: No rings for them.
Blue group index: Where the teams play.
Purple group index: Hit the right note.
Connections Group Answers: Today’s Sports Edition
Yellow group: Big Ten teams.
Green group: The last four losing Super Bowl QBs.
Blue group: Home towns of NFL teams.
Purple group: Athletes with musical names.
Learn more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are the answers from today’s Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle completed by January 18, 2026.
Yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is Big Ten teams. The four answers are Penn State, Purdue, Washington and Wisconsin.
Green words in today’s Connections
The theme is the last four Super Bowl losing QBs. The four answers are Burrow, Hurts, Mahomes and Purdy.
Blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is hometowns of NFL teams. The four answers are Arlington, Foxboro, Orchard Park and Santa Clara.
Purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is athletes with musical names. The four answers are Jared Verse, Jaycee Horn, Madison Keys and Steve Sax.
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