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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #713

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#713) — September 6, 2026

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Earlier Sep 5 This puzzle Sep 6 Later Sep 7

“Start with the group that feels most like a straightforward vocabulary exercise — lock that in first, then look hard at the words that seem too ordinary to belong in a sports puzzle.GUARD has appeared here twice recently — in Connections #673 (Jul 28, 2026) as a football position, and in Connections #675 (Jul 30, 2026) among things the letter G can stand for. Today it plays a different role entirely. MAC also showed up in Connections #690 (Aug 14, 2026) as part of college athletic conferences — that is not what it is doing here.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for September 6, 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 BLANKETTo blanket someone is to cover them completely — the most physical-sounding synonym in the group.
2 CARTSwap the first letter and the result is an NFL quarterback's last name — work through the alphabet until one clicks.
3 COVEChange the C to an L and you get LOVE — Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers quarterback.
4 COVERFeels like a football coverage term, but here it simply means to protect or shield something.
5 DANIELDaniel Jones, the NFL quarterback — a common enough name that it barely registers as a sports clue.
6 DEACONDeacon Jones, the Hall of Fame defensive end who literally invented the term 'sack'.
7 DELLTank Dell, Texans wide receiver — the computer brand makes this the hardest Texans name to spot.
8 DODGERSSwap the D for an R and you get RODGERS — Aaron Rodgers, the veteran NFL quarterback.
9 GUARDReads as a basketball or football position, but here it's a verb meaning to defend.
10 JONQUELJonquel Jones, WNBA center and MVP — the most obscure first name in the group for casual sports fans.
11 MACMac Jones, the NFL quarterback — previously appeared in a college conferences puzzle, which is the wrong trail to follow today.
12 MARKSA Houston Texans player surname — easy to read as a common noun and skip right past.
13 SHIELDThe most literal defender of the four — a shield exists only to protect.
14 STINGLEYDerek Stingley Jr., the Texans' cornerback — the longest and most distinctive name in the group.
15 STROUDC.J. Stroud, the Texans' starting quarterback and one of the more recognisable names in this group.
16 THOUGHChange the T to a Y and you get YOUNG — Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers quarterback.
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 What a bodyguard and a thick layer of snow both do for you.
See Group DEFEND
See WordCOVER
See WordBLANKET
See WordSHIELD
See WordGUARD
See Hint These four first names all share a famous sporting surname.
See Group JONESES
See WordMAC
See WordJONQUEL
See WordDEACON
See WordDANIEL
See Hint Four players who suit up for the same AFC South franchise.
See Group HOUSTON TEXANS
See WordMARKS
See WordDELL
See WordSTROUD
See WordSTINGLEY
See Hint Say each one aloud, then swap the opening sound for another.
See Group NFL QBS, WITH THE FIRST LETTER CHANGED
See WordDODGERS
See WordCOVE
See WordTHOUGH
See WordCART
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 GUARD Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a basketball or football position — but here the puzzle is using it as a plain verb meaning to protect, not a sports role.
2 COVER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of pass coverage in football, which makes it feel like it belongs with the NFL content — but here it's just a synonym for defend, nothing more.
3 DELL Tap to see why this word traps.
You're almost certainly picturing the computer brand — but here it's a surname belonging to a professional football player, not a tech company.
4 DODGERS Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably seeing the Los Angeles baseball team — but the puzzle is using it as a disguised quarterback's last name with one letter swapped at the front.
5 THOUGH Tap to see why this word traps.
You're reading it as a conjunction — but it's actually a quarterback's last name with its first letter changed, making it nearly invisible as a sports reference.

NYT Sports Connections answers for September 6, 2026

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

Y DEFEND · Yellow · easiest
  • COVER
  • BLANKET
  • SHIELD
  • GUARD

COVER, BLANKET, SHIELD and GUARD all mean to defend or protect something. The group is straightforward as vocabulary, but COVER and GUARD both carry heavy football baggage that pulls solvers toward the wrong categories.

G JONESES · Green · easy
  • MAC
  • JONQUEL
  • DEACON
  • DANIEL

MAC, JONQUEL, DEACON and DANIEL are all first names of athletes with the last name Jones — Mac Jones (NFL QB), Jonquel Jones (WNBA star), Deacon Jones (NFL legend) and Daniel Jones (NFL QB). JONQUEL is the hardest to place unless you follow the WNBA closely.

B HOUSTON TEXANS · Blue · medium
  • MARKS
  • DELL
  • STROUD
  • STINGLEY

MARKS, DELL, STROUD and STINGLEY are all last names of Houston Texans players — Kenny Stingley Jr. (cornerback), C.J. Stroud (quarterback), Tank Dell (wide receiver) and the Texans' Marks. DELL is the biggest trap because the computer brand drowns out the football player entirely.

P NFL QBS, WITH THE FIRST LETTER CHANGED · Purple · hardest
  • DODGERS
  • COVE
  • THOUGH
  • CART

DODGERS, COVE, THOUGH and CART are NFL quarterback last names with the first letter changed — DODGERS becomes RODGERS (Aaron Rodgers, D→R), COVE becomes LOVE (Jordan Love of the Packers, C→L), THOUGH becomes YOUNG (Bryce Young of the Panthers, T→Y), and CART has its first letter swapped to produce a current NFL quarterback's surname. DODGERS is the giveaway that unlocks the whole category once you spot the pattern.

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