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Today's Connections: Sports Edition features a category all about my favorite football team. If you're struggling with today's puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic's own app. Or you can 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: We'll be right back...
Green group hint: Run for the roses.
Blue group hint: Skol!
Purple group hint: On your mark, get set, go!
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Break in the action.
Green group: Bets in horse racing.
Blue group: QBs drafted by Vikings in first round.
Purple group: Race ____.
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 puzzle for Feb. 20, 2026.
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is break in the action. The four answers are intermission, pause, suspension and timeout.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is bets in horse racing. The four answers are exacta, place, show and win.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is QBs drafted by Vikings in first round. The four answers are Bridgewater, Culpepper, McCarthy and Ponder.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is race ____. The four answers are bib, car, course and walking.