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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Think about the starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and look for a twist on some of their names. 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: Part of an athletic event.
Green group hint: Kick it my way!
Blue group hint: Baltimore stars.
Purple group hint: Signal-callers, with a twist.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Section of a game.
Green group: Soccer passes.
Blue group: Hall of Fame Orioles.
Purple group: NFL starting QBs, minus their first letter.
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 Dec. 22, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is section of a game. The four answers are half, inning, period and quarter.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is soccer passes.The four answers are backheel, chip, cross and give-and-go.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Hall of Fame Orioles. The four answers are Murray, Palmer, Ripken and Weaver.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is NFL starting QBs, minus their first letter. The four answers are Arnold (Sam Darnold), art (Jaxson Dart), aye (Drake Maye) and off (Jared Goff).
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