NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for December 20, 2025 (#453)

The NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for December 20, 2025 is out, and today’s grid is trickier than usual with sports logos replacing words. If you're having trouble cracking the groups but still want to complete the puzzle, we've got you covered with hints—and the full solution.

Published by The Athletic, the Sports Edition of Connections doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but is available in The Athletic app and also playable online for free. The December 20 puzzle features four challenging categories, ranging from simple sports strategies to player-related trivia.

Hints for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition (Dec 20, #453)

Here are the category clues, ranked from easiest (Yellow) to hardest (Purple):

Yellow Group Hint: Make a plan

Green Group Hint: Rainbow

Blue Group Hint: All hail the king

Purple Group Hint: One pride

Answers for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition (Dec 20, #453)

Yellow Group — Theme: X’s and O’s

Answers: playbook, scheme, strategy, tactic

Green Group — Theme: Teams with Colorful Nicknames

Answers: Alabama, Columbus, Texas Tech, Tulane

Blue Group — Theme: LeBron James Teams

Answers: Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, St. Vincent–St. Mary

Purple Group — Theme: Detroit Lions Players

Answers: Branch, Montgomery, Reader, St. Brown

Puzzle complete! If you're following both the regular and sports versions of NYT Connections, check back daily for more hints, walkthroughs, and sorted answers.