Sports Connections Hints: Jan 17, 2026

This page shows spoiler‑layered hints for the NYT Sports Connections puzzle published on Jan 17, 2026 (2026-01-17). Step through the hints in order and only reveal the full board when you're ready.

Meta: Sports puzzle #689

Puzzle #689 · 2026-01-17 · sports

Step through today’s Connections hints

Start with broad themes, then reveal more detail about the groups and tiles only when you need it. The final button shows today's full group breakdown.

Puzzle reference: Connections #689 for 2026-01-17, edition sports, with a standard four-group board. Spoiler categories and tiles stay collapsed until you open the hint layers below.

Hint 1 – overall theme

There are 4 groups in today’s puzzle.

Themes include: IN NO. 1 POSITION, AFC EAST TEAMS, JEFFS and 1 more.

Hint 2 – group titles

Here are the category names for each group. Try matching the tiles in the official game to these themes before you reveal any tiles.

IN NO. 1 POSITION
AFC EAST TEAMS
JEFFS
ROCKETS

Hint 3 – group tiles

Reveal the tiles for each group. If you only want a partial nudge, stop after reading one or two groups and go back to the official puzzle.

IN NO. 1 POSITION

FIRST

LEAD

FRONT

POLE

AFC EAST TEAMS

MIAMI

NEW ENGLAND

NEW YORK

BUFFALO

JEFFS

KENT

BAGWELL

SATURDAY

VAN GUNDY

ROCKETS

HOUSTON

TOLEDO

CLEMENS

RICHARD

Reveal full answer

This is the full breakdown of today's Connections puzzle: group titles and all tiles, grouped together.