Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #713 Hints and Answers
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle should feel a little easier if you follow the Houston Texans. As we’ve noted in previous guides, this daily word game from The New York Times — developed in association with The Athletic — tests sports knowledge by challenging players to find common threads between 16 words. Like the original Connections and Wordle, a new puzzle drops after midnight, and the difficulty ramps up over time.
If you just want the solution, scroll to the bottom. If you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for clues, strategies, and the full breakdown.
What Is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT’s latest daily word game launched in partnership with The Athletic, the Times’ sports coverage vertical. It’s playable on web browsers and mobile devices. Each puzzle presents 16 words that must be grouped into four categories of four words each. Categories can span anything — book titles, software, country names, or sports-specific references. Only one correct grouping exists per set, even if multiple words seem to fit together.
Get a group right, and those words clear from the board. Guess wrong, and it counts as a mistake; four mistakes ends the game. Players can shuffle the board to spot connections more easily. Groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest). Results are shareable on social media, just like Wordle.
Hint for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Categories
Want a nudge without the full reveal? Try these category hints:
- Yellow: Defense
- Green: Meet the Joneses
- Blue: Houston football players
- Purple: Sounds like an NFL player
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition Categories
Need a little more help? Here are the exact categories for puzzle #713:
- Yellow: Defend
- Green: Joneses
- Blue: Houston Texans
- Purple: NFL QBs with the First Letter Changed
Connections: Sports Edition #713 Solution
Spoiler alert: This is your last chance to turn back and solve the puzzle on your own.
Here are the answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition:
- Defend: BLANKET, COVER, GUARD, SHIELD
- Joneses: DANIEL, DEACON, JONQUEL, MAC
- Houston Texans: DELL, MARKS, STINGLEY, STROUD
- NFL QBs with the First Letter Changed: CART, COVER, DODGERS, THOUGH
Didn’t get it this time? No worries — a fresh Connections: Sports Edition puzzle arrives tomorrow, and we’ll be back with more hints and answers.
More Daily Puzzles and Games
Also playing NYT Strands? Check out our hints and answers for today’s Strands. If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s games hub offers Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest standard Connections puzzle.
