Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Tips, Answers for January 2, #101

Looking for the most recent Regular connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections suggestionsas well as our daily answers and hints for the New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzle.

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Connections: Sports Edition delivered a fully graphic game grid yesterday to start 2025. Today, there are only two images, both of athletes. If you know who they are, you’re one step ahead, but if their smiling faces don’t ring a bell, today’s puzzle might be a struggle. Shake (it’s a hint to one of the photos) and read on for hints and answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle.

For now, the game is in beta, which means the Times is testing it to see if it’s popular, before adding it to the site’s Games app. You can play every day for now for free – and then we’ll see if it stops.

Read more: NYT has a hookup game for sports fans. I tried

Tips for today’s Connections groups: Sports Edition

Here are four suggestions for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the hard (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group tip: Speedy.

Green group advice: singular football teams.

Blue group tip: TE triumphant.

Purple group tip: Jocks Big Apple.

Answers for today’s Connections groups: Sports Edition

Yellow group: Fast.

Green group: MLS teams, in singular form.

Blue group: NFL career leaders among tight ends.

Purple Group: New York athletes.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are the answers today of Connections: Sports Edition?

Yellow words in today’s Connections

The topic is fast. The four answers are brisk, rapid, quick and zippy.

The green words in today’s Connections

The topic is MLS teams, in singular form. The four answers are Earthquake, Sounder, Timber and Whitecap.

Blue words in today’s Connections

The topic is NFL career leaders among tight ends. The four answers are Gates, Gonzalez, Kelce (photo) and Witten.

Purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is New York athletes. The four answers are Ionescu, Judge (photo), Rodgers and Shesterkin.