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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, but I lucked into answering the purple category first. 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: Olympics.
Green group hint: 2009 Super Bowl winners.
Blue group hint: Specific QB.
Purple group hint: City by the Bay.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Decathlon events.
Green group: Associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Blue group: Associated with C.J. Stroud.
Purple group: What “SF” might refer to.
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. 12, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is decathlon events. The four answers are 100 meters, discus, long jump and shot put.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The four answers are black and yellow, Immaculate Reception, Renegade and Terrible Towels.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with C.J. Stroud. The four answers are No. 2 pick, Ohio State, Rookie of the Year and Texans.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what “SF” might refer to. The four answers are 49ers, sacrifice fly, semifinal and small forward.
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