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Last Updated: July 31, 2026 | Fact-Checked: ✅ Verified | ✉️ Contact the Author
🏆 Connections: Sports Edition Answers Today — July 31, 2026 (Puzzle #676)
Here are the official solutions for today's Connections: Sports Edition #676:
- 🟨 Yellow – How a football drive ends: FIELD GOAL, PUNT, TOUCHDOWN, TURNOVER
- 🟩 Green – Reach (for a ball): DIVE, EXTEND, LAY OUT, LUNGE
- 🟦 Blue – Robinsons: BROOKS, JACKIE, MITCHELL, TRUCK
- 🟪 Purple – Homophones of NFL WRs: JUDY, LAM, MORE, NEIGHBORS
Want to figure it out on your own first? Scroll down for progressive spoiler-free hints before reading the complete player & term breakdown.
Welcome to today's NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers guide for Friday, July 31, 2026. Today's Puzzle #676 features a clever mix of gridiron drive endings, athletic diving motions, iconic sports Robinsons, and phonetically tricky NFL wide receiver homophones. We've got progressive clues, red herring alerts, and full explanations below!
📌 Key Takeaways — Sports Puzzle #676
- Date: Friday, July 31, 2026
- Puzzle Number: #676
- Overall Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ (Medium–Hard)
- Trickiest Group: Purple (Phonetic Homophones of NFL Wide Receivers)
- Easiest Group: Yellow (American Football Drive Outcomes)
- Red Herring Alert: Don't pair LAM with TOUCHDOWN, or NEIGHBORS with LAY OUT!
📖 In This Guide
🔮 Word Hints Today — Sports Puzzle #676
Tap any word in the grid below to view a spoiler-free hint explaining how it fits into today's sports puzzle.
A 3-point kicking outcome at the end of an NFL or college football offensive drive.
💡 Spoiler-Free Category Hints
Not ready for full solutions? Use these step-by-step clues for each color group:
🟨 Yellow Group Hint
Theme: Four distinct ways an offensive possession concludes on an American football field.
🟩 Green Group Hint
Theme: Actions an athlete takes when stretching out horizontally or forward to catch or save a ball.
🟦 Blue Group Hint
Theme: Famous American sports figures across baseball and basketball sharing the last name Robinson.
🟪 Purple Group Hint
Theme: Everyday English words that sound exactly like the last names of prominent NFL wide receivers.
🔓 Progressive Category Reveal
Need a nudge in the right direction? Click the buttons below to reveal clues step-by-step.
⚠️ Traps & Misdirects in Puzzle #676
Don't fall for football crossovers! Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb scores plenty of TOUCHDOWNS, but LAM is specifically part of the Homophones of NFL WRs group! Likewise, BROOKS sounds like a sportswear brand, but it refers to Orioles Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson!
🔑 One-Word Theme Hints
🔥 Two-Away Hints
| Group | 2 Words Revealed | Can You Find the Rest? |
|---|---|---|
| 🟨 Yellow | FIELD GOAL, TOUCHDOWN | Find 2 other ways a football drive ends |
| 🟩 Green | DIVE, LAY OUT | What 2 other words describe reaching for a ball? |
| 🟦 Blue | BROOKS, JACKIE | Which 2 other athletes are named Robinson? |
| 🟪 Purple | JUDY, LAM | Which 2 other words sound like NFL receivers? |
✅ Full Answers — Connections Sports #676
Here is the complete solution for Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #676 (July 31, 2026):
🟨 Yellow — How a football drive ends
🟩 Green — Reach (for a ball)
🟦 Blue — Robinsons
🟪 Purple — Homophones of NFL WRs
🔍 Per-Word Explanations & Player Info
🟨 Yellow (Easiest) — How a football drive ends
FIELD GOAL
A 3-point placekick through the uprights concluding an offensive possession.
PUNT
A kick downfield on 4th down to relinquish possession and pin the opponent deep.
TOUCHDOWN
The premier 6-point scoring culmination of a football drive.
TURNOVER
Losing possession of the ball via a fumble or defensive interception.
🟩 Green (Medium) — Reach (for a ball)
DIVE
Launching horizontally through the air to grab or save a passing ball.
EXTEND
Fully stretching out arms and fingers to make contact with a ball.
LAY OUT
Throwing oneself full-length onto the turf or court for a spectacular catch.
LUNGE
A sudden forward or lateral thrust to snag a ball at maximum extension.
🟦 Blue (Hard) — Robinsons
BROOKS
Brooks Robinson — Legendary Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame 3rd defender known as 'The Human Vacuum Cleaner'.
JACKIE
Jackie Robinson — Historic MLB icon who broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 (#42).
MITCHELL
Mitchell Robinson — Rim-protecting NBA center for the New York Knicks.
TRUCK
Leonard 'Truck' Robinson — Two-time NBA All-Star power forward who starred for the Suns, Jazz, and Knicks.
🟪 Purple (Hardest) — Homophones of NFL WRs
JUDY
Homophone for Jerry Jeudy — Alabama Crimson Tide star & Cleveland Browns / Broncos NFL wide receiver.
LAM
Homophone for CeeDee Lamb — All-Pro star wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.
MORE
Homophone for DJ Moore (Bears) or Elijah Moore (Browns) — NFL wide receivers.
NEIGHBORS
Homophone for Malik Nabers — First-round breakout wide receiver for the New York Giants.
