The Athletic Tests Football Fans With a Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle for Every Team

How well do you know your team? Today, for the first time ever, each professional football team will have its own dedicated Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. Each team's fans can prove their expertise before gameday by solving their team's puzzle - or all 32 of them - for the chance to design their own future Connections: Sports Edition puzzle.

Football's Biggest Fan Bases Are Put to the Test

From Mark Cooper, The Athletic's managing editor, puzzles and college sports and The Athletic's extensive nationwide beat writer network, these bespoke puzzles test football fans' knowledge about team legacy, defining moments, heroic plays all to determine just how well fans know their team.

All 32 Connections Sports Edition puzzles are available now at theathletic.com/footballpuzzles. Throughout the month, The Athletic beat writer network will host AMAs on team sub-Reddits to engage with football fans and encourage them to solve their favorite team's puzzle for the chance to create one of their own.

Connections: Sports Edition, which launched in fall 2024, is a sports-centric spinoff of one of New York Times Games' most popular daily puzzles, Connections. Solvers are challenged to race the clock to create four groups of four, connecting the sports terms that share a common thread.

Legends of the Game Face Off in Connections: Sports Edition Showdown

Team pride runs deep for fans and players alike: Just ask two-time champion quarterback Eli Manning, former Chicago superstar returner Devin Hester, andSan Francisco's defensive anchor Patrick Willis. All three football legends teamed up with The Athletic to encourage fans to show their encyclopedic knowledge of their local team for the ultimate reward - the chance to make a Connections: Sports Edition daily game of their own.

"San Francisco has always played with pride, toughness and tradition - and the fans bring that energy every Sunday. Now with Connections: Sports Edition, they can prove their football smarts and show the rest of the league that the Bay knows football better than anyone," said Hall-of-Famer Patrick Willis.

These dedicated puzzles give fans a chance to prove their fanbases know their team - inside and out - better than any other city. Check out Devin and Patrick going head-to-head here.

Hall-of-Famer Devin Hester said: "Chicago fans combine dedication with deep knowledge of the game. They know the history, live every moment, and bring the intensity week after week. Our city will prove we have the true football fanatics."

Two-time champion Manning, already a committed puzzler of New York Times Games, tried his hand at Connections: Sports Edition. Stay tuned to @TheAthleticHQ later this week to see Eli go to work on the puzzle designed for the blue half of New York.

"There is something special about playing, and following, football in New York. Fans are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, loud … and they hold themselves and their players to a high standard. I loved my time in football but, now, I'm a viewer like everyone else. Connections: Sports Edition is the chance to put our football insight to the test, and New York fans are going to prove we know the game and our team better than the competition" said Manning.

Devin solved the Chicago version in 6 minutes and 15 seconds, Patrick took down the San Francisco iteration in six minutes and 35 seconds but Eli was tricked by puzzle editor, Mark Cooper, when playing the New York Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. However, he cruised through the Chicago and San Francisco puzzles in less than 3 minutes, less than half of the time it took Patrick and Devin. Now it's over to the fans to see if they can do even better.

Get in the Game - Submit Your Completed Puzzles for a Chance to Design Your Own

Between September 3 and September 14, football fans can solve their team's puzzle and upload their completed entry at theathletic.com/gametime. One fan will be randomly selected to collaborate with The Athletic to create a Connections: Sports Edition puzzle of their own, to be published later this season.*

"Taking the hugely popular Connections format from New York Times Games into the world of sport with The Athletic has given sports fans a new way to express their fandom and test their sports knowledge every day," said Mark Cooper. "This is the first time we've ever published more than one puzzle in a single day. With one puzzle per team, fans can now channel their excitement and hope for the season. Plus, having our beat writers craft the clues means we're really testing fans' expertise."

The 32 team-specific Connections: Sports Edition puzzles will be available throughout September. Football fans can follow their team all season long with The Athletic's expert football coverage, including behind-the-scenes reporting, advanced statistics and playoff predictions that only our network of insiders and beat writers can provide.

Follow our coverage all season long by downloading The Athletic app.

* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, open to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C., at least 18 years of age, begins 9/3/25 and ends 9/14/25. Subject to Official Rules.