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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Angelenos, you should have an advantage on two categories. If you're struggling 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 show up in the NYT Games app but appears 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: Workout time
Green group hint: City of Angels
Blue group hint: Related to a certain RB
Purple group hint: L.A. hoops
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Muscles, informally
Green group: L.A. football teams
Blue group: Associated with Saquon Barkley
Purple group: Lakers head coaches
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 Oct. 9, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is muscles, informally. The four answers are abs, pecs, quads and traps.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is L.A. football teams. The four answers are Chargers, Rams, UCLA and USC.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is associated with Saquon Barkley. The four answers are Eagles, Giants, Madden cover and Penn State.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is Lakers head coaches. The four answers are Ham, Redick, Riley and West.