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Puzzle #723 Wed, Sep 16, 2026
Yesterday · Puzzle #723

Yesterday's Connections Sports Edition Answer

Wed, Sep 16, 2026Updated By Connections Hint

Spoiler-safe. Nothing is grouped until you open it. Start with a single nudge per group, then the category names, then the full solution only if you need it.

That day's 16 words
the grid, ungrouped
WALLPRESSZONESPLINTMANWOODENROOKIESLINGBRACECAREERTRAPREBUILDINGSTERLINGCASTCONTRACTELWAY
Hints by group
reveal only what you need
Yellowgroupeasiest
See a hint
SPLINT belongs here
See the category
WORN AFTER AN INJURY
See the 4 words
BRACE · CAST · SLING · SPLINT
Greengroupmedium
See a hint
One answer is TRAP
See the category
BASKETBALL DEFENSES
See the 4 words
ZONE · MAN · PRESS · TRAP
Bluegrouptricky
See a hint
Start from ELWAY
See the category
JOHN _____
See the 4 words
WALL · WOODEN · STERLING · ELWAY
Purplegrouphardest
See a hint
REBUILDING belongs here
See the category
_____ YEAR
See the 4 words
CONTRACT · ROOKIE · CAREER · REBUILDING
The four categories
Reveal the four category names
WORN AFTER AN INJURYYellow
BASKETBALL DEFENSESGreen
JOHN _____Blue
_____ YEARPurple
The full answer
Reveal all four groups
WORN AFTER AN INJURYYellow
BRACE · CAST · SLING · SPLINT
BASKETBALL DEFENSESGreen
ZONE · MAN · PRESS · TRAP
JOHN _____Blue
WALL · WOODEN · STERLING · ELWAY
_____ YEARPurple
CONTRACT · ROOKIE · CAREER · REBUILDING
Today's hintsThis week's answersAnswer archive2026 answersPlay unlimitedConnections Solver
Background & guide

Yesterday's puzzle, explained

Here is the complete grouping for yesterday's Connections Sports Edition, in the order the puzzle ranks them: yellow first as the most direct, then green, then blue, and purple last as the one built on wordplay. If you finished with one group left standing, it was almost certainly purple.

Reading a puzzle you already lost

The useful question is not which words you missed but which pairing pulled you off course. Sports Edition sets its traps by putting a word that clearly belongs to one sport next to three others that only appear to. Spotting that pattern once makes the same trick visible the next time it shows up.

Playing today's puzzle instead? Today's hints are laid out the same way, one layer at a time, and the past week of answers is collected on its own page.

Frequently asked questions
Which day does this page show?
The puzzle from the previous calendar day, New York time. It updates automatically at midnight, when today's puzzle takes over the hints page.
Can I look up an older Sports Edition puzzle?
Yes. Every past puzzle is in the archive, grouped by year, and each day has its own page with the full grouping.
Why are the groups ordered yellow, green, blue, purple?
That is the puzzle's own difficulty order. Yellow is the most literal category and purple is usually the wordplay one, so reading them in order shows how the puzzle was meant to unfold.