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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #672

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#672) — July 27, 2026

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Earlier Jul 26 This puzzle Jul 27 Later Jul 28

“Group the most concrete team names first before anything that feels like a city or foreign league.Today's puzzle has BLUE JACKETS, which also appeared in Connections #647 (Jul 2, 2026). It was part of teams in Columbus.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for July 27, 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 →

1

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 BAYERThe company name shared by two Bundesliga sides.
2 BAYERNLooks like a region but here starts the name of Munich's club.
3 BEARCATSThe University of Cincinnati athletic teams.
4 BEARSLooks like the animal but here names the Chicago NFL team.
5 BENGALSThe Cincinnati NFL team that tempts an NFL grouping.
6 BERLINThe capital city that ends one Bundesliga club name.
7 BIG RED MACHINEThe nickname for Cincinnati's dominant 1970s baseball teams.
8 BILLSThe Buffalo NFL team with a simple nickname.
9 BLACKHAWKSThe Chicago NHL team with a bird of prey name.
10 BLUE JACKETSThe Columbus NHL team with a two-word military nickname.
11 BLUESLooks like a color but here names the St. Louis NHL team.
12 BORUSSIAThe Latin-derived name used by several German clubs.
13 BRONCOSThe Denver NFL team known for its horse name.
14 BRUINSThe Boston NHL team whose name means brown bears.
15 BUCCANEERSThe Tampa Bay NFL team with the pirate nickname.
16 BURROWThe Bengals quarterback whose name fits the city link.
2

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 Four gridiron nicknames that open with the same letter.
See Group NFL TEAMS WHOSE NICKNAMES START WITH B
See WordBEARS
See WordBILLS
See WordBRONCOS
See WordBUCCANEERS
See Hint Rink sides all branded with the same opening letter.
See Group NHL TEAMS WHOSE NICKNAMES START WITH B
See WordBLUES
See WordBLUE JACKETS
See WordBLACKHAWKS
See WordBRUINS
See Hint Everything tied to one Ohio city's sports scene.
See Group ASSOCIATED WITH CINCINNATI
See WordBURROW
See WordBEARCATS
See WordBENGALS
See WordBIG RED MACHINE
See Hint Words that open the names of several German league clubs.
See Group WORDS IN THE NAMES OF BUNDESLIGA CLUBS
See WordBAYERN
See WordBAYER
See WordBORUSSIA
See WordBERLIN
3

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 BEARS Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing the animal, but here the puzzle is using it as part of a sports team name.
2 BLUES Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the color or music genre, but here it's naming a hockey team.
3 BAYERN Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a German region or surname, but here it's part of a football club name.

NYT Sports Connections answers for July 27, 2026

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

Y NFL TEAMS WHOSE NICKNAMES START WITH B · Yellow · easiest
  • BEARS
  • BILLS
  • BRONCOS
  • BUCCANEERS

BEARS, BILLS, BRONCOS and BUCCANEERS are NFL teams whose nicknames start with B. BUCCANEERS stands out as the longest and most specific of the four.

G NHL TEAMS WHOSE NICKNAMES START WITH B · Green · easy
  • BLUES
  • BLUE JACKETS
  • BLACKHAWKS
  • BRUINS

BLUES, BLUE JACKETS, BLACKHAWKS and BRUINS are NHL teams whose nicknames start with B. BLUE JACKETS is the only two-word entry in the group.

B ASSOCIATED WITH CINCINNATI · Blue · medium
  • BURROW
  • BEARCATS
  • BENGALS
  • BIG RED MACHINE

BURROW, BEARCATS, BENGALS and BIG RED MACHINE are all associated with Cincinnati. BIG RED MACHINE is the only non-team entry and refers to a historic baseball dynasty.

P WORDS IN THE NAMES OF BUNDESLIGA CLUBS · Purple · hardest
  • BAYERN
  • BAYER
  • BORUSSIA
  • BERLIN

BAYERN, BAYER, BORUSSIA and BERLIN appear in the names of Bundesliga clubs. BAYERN is the sneakiest because it reads first as a region rather than part of a club name.

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