Looking for the most recentregular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.Connections: Sports Editionis out of beta now, making its debut onSuper Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will be continuing to publish it. It won't show up in the NYT Games app but will appear in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. I thought today's puzzle was especially tough -- it's got a lot of athlete names, and warning to my fellow Yanks, not all of them are American. Read on for hints and the answers.Read more:NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of BetaHints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groupsHere are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.Yellow group hint: Not anyGreen group hint: You're so good at thatBlue group hint: Darnold is another.Purple group hint: Skilled soccer playersAnswers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groupsYellow group: NoneGreen group: Special abilityBlue group: NFC quarterbacksPurple group:Premier League forwardsRead more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English WordsWhat are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?The yellow words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is none. The four answers are love, nil, zero and zip.The green words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is special ability. The four answers are flair, gift, skill and talent.The blue words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is NFC quarterbacks The four answers are Daniels, Goff, Mayfield and Stafford.The purple words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is Premier League forwards. The four answers are Haaland, Salah, Son and Vardy.Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition#1: Don't grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it's also the last name of at least one pro athlete