Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 174, for Sunday, March 16.
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of “Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the ’70s and ’80s,” as well as “The Totally Sweet ’90s.” She’s been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She’s Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she’ll be first in line.
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Connections: Sports Edition offers some fun categories today. I laughed at the purple category, which blends certain words from science with phrases that have sports meanings. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: Think Mahomes or Brady.
Green group hint: March Madness.
Blue group hint: Groups of teams.
Purple group hint: Science in sport phrases.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Stats for a QB.
Green group: First words of NCAA tournament rounds.
Blue group: Baseball “leagues.”
Purple group: Periodic table meets sports.
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 Sunday, March 16, 2025.
NYT/Screenshot by CNET
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is stats for a QB. The four answers are attempts, rating, touchdowns and yards.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is first words of NCAA tournament rounds. The four answers are elite, final, first and sweet.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is baseball “leagues.” The four answers are cactus, grapefruit, international and Pacific Coast.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is periodic table meets sports. The four answers are gold medal, lead runner, mercury and silver slugger.
