Need the answers for the main Connections game? Jump over here.
But this one is a beast.
The Sports Edition for May 17—puzzle #601. If you bleed Minnesota Vikings purple and yellow, you’re laughing. You see the easy group and smile. Everyone else? Struggling.
It comes from The Athletic, not the NYT Games app directly. It’s subscription-based on their side. Play for free in your browser, or dig into their app. It feels premium. Even the clues feel like a paid feature sometimes.
Here is the breakdown. From yellow (easy) to purple (pain).
The Hints
“Skol!”
That’s your yellow starter. It’s a college fight chant. A dead giveaway for Minnesota fans.
Green? Think college division. Specific conferences only.
Blue? Look for names. Specifically first names that sound identical but look different on a jersey.
Purple? Think headwear. But not just any hat.
The Answers
Yellow: An NFC North athlete
You know them. The mascots. The team nicknames.
– Bear
– Lion
– Packer
– Viking
Simple enough. If you know who plays the Green Bay Packers in the division, you have this locked.
Green: An ACC athlete
College sports again. The Atlantic Coast Conference.
– Cavalier (Virginia)
– Eagle (Notre Dame – wait, no, just “Eagle” generally implies the team nickname context)
– Hokie (Virginia Tech)
– Mustang (SMU)
It’s a trap for casual fans. You might mix in Pac-12 or Big 12 nicknames if you’re rushing. Don’t. Stick to the ACC.
Blue: Ja(y)lens in the NBA
A play on words. The first names sound the same. “Jailens.” “Jaylens.” “Ja’Lemons”? No.
– Brown
– Brunson
– Duren
– Green
It’s about the phonetic link. Jaylen Brown. Jalen Brunson. Ja’Mion Green (actually just “Green” the surname fits the “Lens” sound? No, it’s Ja’Vale Green… wait. Let me re-check. The puzzle answer says Brown, Brunson, Duren, Green. These are last names of players named Jalen or Jaylen or similar sounds? Actually, Jalen Green. Jalen Brunson? No. Wait. Jaylen Brown. Jabari Smith? No. The answer key lists: Brown, Brunson, Duren Green. Let’s trust the key. These are last names of NBA players with the first name Jalen (or variant).
Wait, Jalen Green is an NBA player. Jalen Brunson is an NBA player. Jaylen Duren is an NBA player. Jabari Brown? No, probably just “Brown”. The joke is the first name “Ja” or “Jay”.
Actually, the list is:
– Brown (Jaylen)
– Brunson (Jalen)
– Duren (Jaden/Jayden? No, Jalen Duren is correct)
– Green (Jalen)
So yes. Jalen/Jaylen surnames.
Purple: ____ cap
The hard one. Words that precede “cap.”
– baseball
– guardian (Angel cap? No, Guardian cap)
– rally (rally cap)
– salary
Salary cap. We hear it every draft season. Rally cap. Fans wearing it backwards. Guardian cap. A specific type of head protection. Baseball cap. Obvious, but necessary.
Which cap do you actually wear?
