NYT Connections: Sports Edition for Jan 22 (#486)

Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition? The Jan. 22, 2026 puzzle (No. 486) strikes a nice balance between approachable sports trivia and a sneaky wordplay finish. If you’re rusty on classic sports TV or Super Bowl–winning coaches, this one could slow you down.

Below are spoiler-safe hints first, followed by the full answers and explanations.

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🔍 Hints for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Groups

Ranked from easiest (yellow) to toughest (purple):

• 🟨 Yellow Group Hint: Not lazy
• 🟩 Green Group Hint: Pete Carroll is another one
• 🟦 Blue Group Hint: Turn on the TV
• 🟪 Purple Group Hint: Hidden team names

That purple category is classic Sports Edition misdirection—read carefully and look at word endings.

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✅ Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Answers (Jan. 22, #486)

🟨 Yellow Group — An Energetic Person

• Dynamo
• Fireball
• Go-getter
• Spark plug

🟩 Green Group — Head Coaches Who Won a Super Bowl

• Don Shula
• John Madden
• Mike Tomlin
• Sean Payton

🟦 Blue Group — Former ESPN Shows

• Around The Horn
• Dream Job
• Playmakers
• Stump the Schwab

🟪 Purple Group — Ends in an NBA Team (Singular Form)

• Empty net → Net
• Joe Buck → Buck
• The Yankee Clipper → Clipper
• Tony Hawk → Hawk

The final group hides NBA team names at the end of longer phrases—easy to miss if you’re scanning for full team names.

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🧠 Why Today’s Puzzle Was Tricky

• Mixed knowledge domains: coaching history, TV shows, and wordplay
• Blue group nostalgia: ESPN fans had an advantage
• Purple group precision: singular team names only, not plural franchises

If you focused too literally on “teams,” that purple set probably came last.

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🏟️ Where to Play Connections: Sports Edition

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, owned by The New York Times. You can play it:

• In The Athletic app
• Free on the web
• (It does not appear in the NYT Games app)

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💬 Your Turn

Which group did you lock in first — energetic people or Super Bowl coaches?
Did you catch the NBA team endings right away, or did purple slow you down?

Share your solve order and thoughts below 👇

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Game: NYT Connections: Sports Edition
Puzzle Number: #486
Date: January 22, 2026
Author: TechBoltX Team