Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Aug. 5, #316
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 5, No. 316
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Lots of logos in today’s Connections: Sports Edition. So if you know team identities by their graphics, you might ace this one. 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 for 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: Ante up!
Green group hint: Football team group.
Blue group hint: Halloween color.
Purple group hint: Not finishing, but…
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Hands in poker.
Green group: NFC West teams.
Blue group: Teams that wear orange.
Purple group: Starting ____.
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 for Aug. 5, 2025.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is hands in poker. The four answers are flush, full house, straight and two pair.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is NFC West teams. The four answers are 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams that wear orange. The four answers are Bengals, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is starting ____. The four answers are 5, blocks, lineup and pitcher.
Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition
1. Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in — is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?
2. Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.
3. And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.
