NYT Connections Sports Edition · #702

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#702) — August 26, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·August 26, 2026

“Work from the most concrete group outward — once you've locked in the words that clearly share a single, direct meaning, the remaining words get easier to interrogate for hidden structure.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 26, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 ACHILLES' HEELThe mythological origin story: the hero Achilles was invulnerable everywhere except the heel his mother held while dipping him in the River Styx.

2 AUSTINThe Texas capital city where the University of Texas main campus sits — not a person here.

3 BEVOThe live longhorn steer mascot of UT Austin, one of the most recognisable animal mascots in college sports.

4 BURNT ORANGEThe official colour of the Longhorns — a specific, deep orange that UT fans will defend as distinct from any other shade.

5 COLT MCCOYThe former NFL quarterback's first name is the singular of the Indianapolis Colts — the player connection is the bait.

6 DEFECTThe most clinical of the four — a structural fault, the kind a medical or engineering report would name.

7 FLAWA specific imperfection — in sports, often the one thing a scouting report circles in red.

8 GIRO D'ITALIAItaly's Grand Tour, raced in May; riders compete for the pink jersey, the maglia rosa.

9 HOOK 'EMThe Longhorns' hand signal and rallying cry — index finger and pinky raised to form horns.

10 IL LOMBARDIAA one-day Monument classic nicknamed 'the Race of the Falling Leaves' for its late-October date.

11 LIONEL MESSIThe soccer superstar's first name opens with LION — the singular of the Detroit Lions, buried in the first four letters.

12 RAMBLERSReads as a generic nickname or college team, but RAM at the front is the singular of the Los Angeles Rams.

13 SAINT JOSEPH'SThe Philadelphia university's name opens with SAINT, the singular of the New Orleans Saints.

14 TOUR DE FRANCEThe most famous cycling race in the world, held each July across France and ending on the Champs-Élysées.

15 VUELTA A ESPAÑASpain's Grand Tour, held in late summer; the red jersey marks its leader.

16 WEAKNESSThe broadest and most everyday word in the group — a general lack of strength or resistance.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

Every athlete has one — and hopes nobody finds it.

See Group

VULNERABLE SPOT

See Word

ACHILLES' HEEL

See Word

WEAKNESS

See Word

FLAW

See Word

DEFECT

See Hint

These races have made cyclists legends and broken them in the same week.

See Group

FAMOUS CYCLING RACES

See Word

TOUR DE FRANCE

See Word

GIRO D'ITALIA

See Word

VUELTA A ESPAÑA

See Word

IL LOMBARDIA

See Hint

A longhorn, a city, a colour, and a hand gesture walk into a stadium.

See Group

ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

See Word

BEVO

See Word

AUSTIN

See Word

BURNT ORANGE

See Word

HOOK 'EM

See Hint

Each phrase secretly opens with a single NFL franchise.

See Group

STARTS WITH AN NFL TEAM, IN SINGULAR FORM

See Word

COLT MCCOY

See Word

SAINT JOSEPH'S

See Word

RAMBLERS

See Word

LIONEL MESSI

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 COLT MCCOY Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of him as an NFL quarterback — that's the bait. The puzzle isn't grouping him with other players; it's using the first word of his name as a hidden team reference.

2 RAMBLERS Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading it as a Loyola Chicago basketball team nickname or a general word for wanderers, but the puzzle is using RAM — the opening chunk of the word — as a disguised NFL team name hiding right at the front.

3 SAINT JOSEPH'S Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of the Philadelphia university and its basketball program, but the puzzle is treating the first word as a singular NFL team name hiding at the front.

4 LIONEL MESSI Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing the soccer superstar — that's the obvious read. The puzzle is using the first four letters of his first name as a disguised NFL team, not even a complete standalone word.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 26, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y VULNERABLE SPOT · Yellow · easiest

ACHILLES' HEEL
WEAKNESS
FLAW
DEFECT

ACHILLES' HEEL, WEAKNESS, FLAW and DEFECT are all synonyms for a vulnerable spot or shortcoming. ACHILLES' HEEL is the most specific — it comes from Greek mythology and is the only phrase in the group that doubles as a literal body part.

G FAMOUS CYCLING RACES · Green · easy

TOUR DE FRANCE
GIRO D'ITALIA
VUELTA A ESPAÑA
IL LOMBARDIA

TOUR DE FRANCE, GIRO D'ITALIA, VUELTA A ESPAÑA and IL LOMBARDIA are all famous professional cycling races. Three of them are Grand Tours — three-week stage races — while IL LOMBARDIA is a one-day Monument classic held each autumn in northern Italy.

B ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS · Blue · medium

BEVO
AUSTIN
BURNT ORANGE
HOOK 'EM

BEVO, AUSTIN, BURNT ORANGE and HOOK 'EM are all associated with the University of Texas Longhorns. BEVO is the live longhorn steer mascot who has roamed UT sidelines since 1916, making him the most specific and memorable detail in the group.

P STARTS WITH AN NFL TEAM, IN SINGULAR FORM · Purple · hardest

COLT MCCOY
SAINT JOSEPH'S
RAMBLERS
LIONEL MESSI

COLT MCCOY, SAINT JOSEPH'S, RAMBLERS and LIONEL MESSI each begin with the singular form of an NFL team name: COLT (Colts), SAINT (Saints), RAM (Rams) and LION (Lions). LIONEL MESSI is the cruelest trap — the hidden team name is only the first four letters of his first name, not even a full word.

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Today's hint ladder & answer

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