NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 22

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for...

The Universe Is Teeming With Complex Organic Molecules

Wherever astronomers look, they see life’s raw materials—and hints at answers to one of the great mysteries of science.

Tony Pollard questionable for Week 16 vs. Colts

Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Titans running back Tony Pollard is dealing with an ankle injury late in the season. We break down the fantasy football impact in Week 16.

The Tennessee Titans are playing for draft positioning to close out the 2024 NFL season, but in Week 16 they have a chance to play spoiler against the Indianapolis Colts. They’ll enter the game with a banged-up Tony Pollard, who is uncertain for the game due to an ankle injury.

Jaylen Waddle injury status: Dolphins WR unlikely to play in Week 16 vs. 49ers

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is dealing with a knee injury and is expected to be inactive in Week 16. We break down what it means for fantasy football.

The Miami Dolphins host the San Francisco 49ers in a Week 16 matchup both teams need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Miami is likely to be shorthanded at wide receiver, but how much will depend on some game day news. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is likely to miss the game, while...

Tyreek Hill questionable for Week 16 vs. 49ers

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is dealing with an ongoing wrist issue. We break down his injury status and the fantasy football impact in Week 16.

The Miami Dolphins head into a critical Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, and they’ll likely be shorthanded on offense. The team is not expecting to have wide receiver Jaylen Waddle available, and his running mate Tyreek Hill is questionable for the game.

Hill...

Your daily NFL trivia game, Sunday edition

Think you can figure out what NFL player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the SB Nation in-5 daily trivia game, and we’re returning to our system of a new article each day for the game.

We tried using a single article for the game, updated with the latest game each day, but it was creating a bit of an unwieldy experience in the comments. So, we’ll have the current day’s game plus the previous three days in each...

Love in a Time of War

Anastasia Savka and Oleksiy Levchenko met at a rehabilitation facility earlier this year after surviving critical injuries as Ukrainian soldiers.

Police Fatally Shoot Man Who Drove Pickup Into Killeen Mall, Injuring 5

The police said the man was being investigated for possible drunken driving but instead of stopping, he smashed his pickup truck into a J.C. Penney.

Niger Buckles Under Relentless Jihadist Fire

In the West African nation of Niger, killings by insurgents have surged since the military seized power in a coup, expelled U.S. and European troops and stopped negotiations with Islamist groups.

U.S. Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Red Sea by Apparent Friendly Fire

A U.S. Navy ship mistakenly fired at the F/A-18, whose two pilots were safely recovered, the military said.

What Nantucket Owes the Whale

We owe it to the right whale — and to so many other species — to reconstruct what our own history has taken from them.

The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be

The word “faith” implies the possession of something, whereas I experience faith as a yearning for something beautiful that I can sense but not fully grasp.

‘Christmas Adam’ Celebrations on Dec. 23 Spread in Some Parts of the U.S.

First there was Christmas Eve … and then a new celebration was created.

Why Is It So Hard to Make a Robot Chef?

Restaurants are experimenting with automation. But in the kitchen, human labor is hard to replace.

Germany Searches for Motives in Christmas Market Attack

The authorities said they were struggling to understand the motives for the attack with a car in the eastern city of Magdeburg, in which a 9-year-old boy was among the five victims.

University of California Resolves Civil Rights Complaints Over Gaza Protests

Five schools agreed to changes after reports that they failed to protect students from antisemitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim discrimination.

Campus Groups Try to Make Room for Middle-Ground Opinions on the Middle East

Some college students and faculty members are seeking space for nuanced perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war on deeply divided campuses.

A Woman With a Rare Gene Mutation Fights to Avoid Her Mother’s Fate

A mutant gene is coming to steal Linde Jacobs’s mind. Can she find a way to stop it?

Removing Carbon From the Sky Could Be the Next Climate Gold Rush

Investors are betting that they can make a dent in global warming, and healthy profits, with companies that alter the atmosphere.

R.F.K. Jr. Wants to Overhaul the F.D.A. How Would Scientists Change It?

While some agree with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the agency needs reform, their ideas for fixing it are very different from his.