Today's Sports Connections answers
By SportsMonkie Sports Desk · Puzzle #714 · Edited by Mark Cooper · Full spoilers below
This page always carries the current NYT Connections Sports Edition puzzle — #714, Monday, September 7, 2026. The four groups are NHL TEAMS, ON SCOREBOARDS, POSITIONS IN FANTASY FOOTBALL, US OPEN MEN'S SINGLES WINNERS, JUNIOR _____. The full sixteen words, sorted into their groups with a short explanation of why each one belongs, are right below. Want to solve it yourself first? Use the progressive hints instead.
Today's answers, group by group
Tier 1 · Easiest
NHL TEAMS, ON SCOREBOARDS
- CAR
- VAN
- OTT
- EDM
Why: All four — CAR, VAN, OTT and EDM — share one link: nhl teams, on scoreboards. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 2 · Easy
POSITIONS IN FANTASY FOOTBALL
- FLEX
- TE
- D/ST
- RB
Why: All four — FLEX, TE, D/ST and RB — share one link: positions in fantasy football. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 3 · Tricky
US OPEN MEN'S SINGLES WINNERS
- ASHE
- RAFTER
- LAVER
- SINNER
Why: All four — ASHE, RAFTER, LAVER and SINNER — share one link: us open men's singles winners. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 4 · Hardest
JUNIOR _____
- COLLEGE
- CAMINERO
- VARSITY
- SEAU
Why: This is the wordplay group: COLLEGE, CAMINERO, VARSITY and SEAU are joined by the pattern in the title ("junior _____"), not by any shared sport. It is the classic trap tier — several of these words look like they belong with a sports category above, which is exactly what the puzzle wants you to try first.
If you don't follow US sports
Sports Edition skews American, so a group can be obvious to a US fan and invisible to everyone else. The "why" line under each group names the league, the city or the player so the connection makes sense even if you have never watched the sport.
FAQ
What are today's Sports Connections answers (#714)?
The four groups for Monday, September 7, 2026 are: NHL TEAMS, ON SCOREBOARDS; POSITIONS IN FANTASY FOOTBALL; US OPEN MEN'S SINGLES WINNERS; JUNIOR _____. The full sixteen words and the reason each group fits are laid out above.
What time does the Sports Connections puzzle reset?
A new puzzle unlocks at midnight in your local time, so players in earlier time zones get the next day's grid first. This page updates to the new puzzle as soon as it is live.
How many mistakes can I make?
Four. Every wrong group of four counts as one mistake, and the fourth mistake ends the game and reveals the solution. There is no time limit.
Previous days' answers
Missed the last few puzzles? Here are the full answers for the previous days, newest first.
Sports Connections #713 — Sunday, September 6, 2026
Tier 1 · Easiest
DEFEND
- COVER
- SHIELD
- GUARD
- BLANKET
Why: All four — COVER, SHIELD, GUARD and BLANKET — share one link: defend. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 2 · Easy
JONESES
- DEACON
- MAC
- DANIEL
- JONQUEL
Why: All four — DEACON, MAC, DANIEL and JONQUEL — share one link: joneses. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 3 · Tricky
HOUSTON TEXANS
- MARKS
- DELL
- STROUD
- STINGLEY
Why: All four — MARKS, DELL, STROUD and STINGLEY — share one link: houston texans. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 4 · Hardest
NFL QBS, WITH THE FIRST LETTER CHANGED
- COVE
- DODGERS
- THOUGH
- CART
Why: All four — COVE, DODGERS, THOUGH and CART — share one link: nfl qbs, with the first letter changed. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Sports Connections #712 — Saturday, September 5, 2026
Tier 1 · Easiest
ACC SCHOOLS
- CLEMSON
- STANFORD
- VIRGINIA
- LOUISVILLE
Why: All four — CLEMSON, STANFORD, VIRGINIA and LOUISVILLE — share one link: acc schools. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 2 · Easy
SEC SCHOOL LOCATIONS
- BATON ROUGE
- NORMAN
- STARKVILLE
- COLUMBIA
Why: All four — BATON ROUGE, NORMAN, STARKVILLE and COLUMBIA — share one link: sec school locations. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 3 · Tricky
LSU ALUMNI IN NFL
- BURROW
- CHASE
- JEFFERSON
- DANIELS
Why: All four — BURROW, CHASE, JEFFERSON and DANIELS — share one link: lsu alumni in nfl. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 4 · Hardest
LIVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL MASCOTS
- SMOKEY
- RALPHIE
- REVEILLE
- UGA
Why: All four — SMOKEY, RALPHIE, REVEILLE and UGA — share one link: live college football mascots. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Sports Connections #711 — Friday, September 4, 2026
Tier 1 · Easiest
NAIL A BATTER WITH A PITCH
- HIT
- PLUNK
- DRILL
- BEAN
Why: All four — HIT, PLUNK, DRILL and BEAN — share one link: nail a batter with a pitch. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 2 · Easy
SKATEBOARDING TRICKS
- 900
- MANUAL
- MCTWIST
- HEELFLIP
Why: All four — 900, MANUAL, MCTWIST and HEELFLIP — share one link: skateboarding tricks. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 3 · Tricky
SWIMMERS WITH 10+ OLYMPIC MEDALS
- THOMPSON
- DRESSEL
- LEDECKY
- PHELPS
Why: All four — THOMPSON, DRESSEL, LEDECKY and PHELPS — share one link: swimmers with 10+ olympic medals. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.
Tier 4 · Hardest
DRAFT _____
- LOTTERY
- ORDER
- CLASS
- PICKS
Why: This is the wordplay group: LOTTERY, ORDER, CLASS and PICKS are joined by the pattern in the title ("draft _____"), not by any shared sport. It is the classic trap tier — several of these words look like they belong with a sports category above, which is exactly what the puzzle wants you to try first.
Today's grid leaned on these sports — go deeper on SportsMonkie:
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