NYT Connections Sports Edition Answers Jan 9 (#473)

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers

January 9, 2026 – Puzzle #473

Looking for today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition answers for January 9, 2026? You’re in the right place. Puzzle #473 leans heavily into sports structure and venues, which can be challenging if you’re not familiar with playoff formats or arena naming rights.

The sports-only word game NYT Connections: Sports Edition, published by The Athletic, requires solvers to recognize leagues, locations, and sports terminology hiding in plain sight.

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🟨 Hints for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Groups

Here are today’s hints, ordered from easiest to hardest:

• Yellow Group Hint: Are you ready for some playoffs?
• Green Group Hint: Up! Down!
• Blue Group Hint: Where teams play
• Purple Group Hint: Not angels

If you want to solve it yourself, stop scrolling here 👀
Otherwise, the answers are below.

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✅ Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Answers (#473)

🟨 Yellow Group – NFL Playoff Rounds

• Conference championship
• Divisional
• Super Bowl
• Wild card

These are the official rounds teams advance through during the NFL postseason.

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🟩 Green Group – Jumping Ability

• Bounce
• Bunnies
• Hops
• Ups

All four words describe vertical ability or jumping skill, commonly used in basketball and football.

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🟦 Blue Group – NBA Arenas

• Delta
• FedEx
• Scotiabank
• Spectrum

These names are part of NBA arena titles, often tied to corporate sponsors.

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🟪 Purple Group – ____ Devils

• Blue (Blue Devils)
• New Jersey (New Jersey Devils)
• Red (Red Devils)
• Sun (Sun Devils)

Each word completes a well-known sports team nickname ending with Devils.

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🧠 Sports Edition Strategy Tip

Arena names and playoff rounds are common traps. If a word feels corporate or structural, consider leagues, venues, or competition formats.

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❓ FAQ – NYT Connections: Sports Edition (Jan 9, 2026)

What are today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition answers for Jan 9?

They include NFL playoff rounds, jumping ability terms, NBA arenas, and “____ Devils” team names.

What was the hardest group today?

Many players struggled with the blue group (NBA arenas).

Is Connections: Sports Edition free to play?

Yes, it’s available free online and through The Athletic app.

How is Sports Edition different from regular Connections?

It focuses entirely on sports-related knowledge and wordplay.