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Need help with Connections: Sports Edition #226? This puzzle is dated Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Start with the spoiler-light clues below, then open the answer key when you’re ready to see the four groups. The puzzle asks you to sort 16 sports-related words into four groups of four that share a connection.
Hints for Connections: Sports Edition #226
Here are the clues from gentlest to most revealing. Each points toward a category without giving away the full set of words.
- Yellow: Stops you from getting ahead in a game.
- Green: Terms you’d hear about a player on the offensive side of a football team.
- Blue: They make for great selfies at baseball games.
- Purple: These words sound like the names of famous people in football.
Answers for May 7, 2025
Spoilers below: The category labels and all 16 answers follow.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Prevent a goal | BLOCK, PARRY, SAVE, STOP |
| Stats for a running back | ATTEMPTS, FUMBLES, TOUCHDOWNS, YARDS |
| MLB mascots | BLOOPER, MR. MET, ORBIT, WALLY |
| Homophones of NFL head coaches | BOWLS, CAROL, READ, TAILOR |
How the trickiest group works
The purple answers are sound-alikes, not the coaches’ exact spellings: BOWLS corresponds to Todd Bowles, CAROL to Pete Carroll, READ to Andy Reid, and TAILOR to Zac Taylor.
#1 Best Overall
- Variety puzzles/game books assorted
Why the date matters
The puzzle number identifies this as the May 7, 2025 edition. A separate May 7, 2026 guide labels its puzzle #591, so it is not the answer set for #226. The Sports Edition is a New York Times and The Athletic partnership.
Quick Recap
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