The NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for September 12, 2026, is number 719. This version of the popular daily word game focuses entirely on sports history, teams, athletes, and terminology.
Hints for Today’s Puzzle
If you need a push in the right direction without seeing the final answers yet, these clues describe the four categories in today’s game:
- Yellow: Professional franchises located in the same southwestern state.
- Green: Home cities for specific major college athletic programs in the Midwest and East.
- Blue: Four generations of a single high-profile football family.
- Purple: Teams belonging to a professional women’s volleyball league.
Category-Specific Clues
For more targeted help, here is what to look for in each group:
- Yellow: These teams represent Phoenix and its surrounding areas across the NFL, MLB, WNBA, and NBA.
- Green: These municipalities host Big Ten universities such as Illinois, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Rutgers.
- Blue: These individuals include Super Bowl winners and a rising college prospect, all sharing the same surname.
- Purple: These are names of teams competing in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF).
SPOILER WARNING: The full solutions and category names for today’s puzzle follow below.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Answers
Yellow: Arizona Pro Teams
This group consists of professional sports franchises based in Arizona.
- Cardinals (NFL)
- Diamondbacks (MLB)
- Mercury (WNBA)
- Suns (NBA)
Green: Big Ten School Locations
These four words are the cities that serve as home to prominent Big Ten conference universities.
- Champaign (University of Illinois)
- Columbus (Ohio State University)
- Lincoln (University of Nebraska)
- Piscataway (Rutgers University)
Blue: Manning Family Members
This category features four members of the Manning football dynasty.
- Arch (The youngest quarterback in the family)
- Archie (The patriarch and former Saints quarterback)
- Eli (Two-time Super Bowl champion with the Giants)
- Peyton (Hall of Fame quarterback for the Colts and Broncos)
Purple: Major League Volleyball Teams
These names refer to teams playing in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), which represent cities like Columbus, Omaha, Orlando, and Atlanta.
- Pulse (Columbus Pulse)
- Supernovas (Omaha Supernovas)
- Valkyries (Orlando Valkyries)
- Vibe (Atlanta Vibe)
For players tracking the history of this spinoff, today’s puzzle #719 continues the tradition of blending niche league knowledge, like the PVF, with mainstream professional sports history.
