Today's NFL Connections answers
By SportsMonkie NFL Desk · Puzzle #21 · Thursday, August 27, 2026 · Hints first, full spoilers behind the toggle
This page always tracks the current NFL Connections puzzle — sixteen football tiles sorted into four hidden groups of four, with 4 mistakes allowed before the board is revealed. We don't spoil it by default: the category names are below as hints, and the full sixteen-tile answer is one tap away if you want it. Prefer to solve it yourself first? Play the puzzle before you scroll down.
Today's hints
The four categories for puzzle #21 are below, easiest (yellow) to hardest (purple) — no members listed yet.
- Yellow (easiest) Ways to score 4 tiles
- Green Penalties 4 tiles
- Blue Parts of the field 4 tiles
- Purple (hardest) Game situations 4 tiles
Reveal today's answer (all 16 tiles)
Ways to score
Touchdown, Field Goal, Safety, Extra Point
Penalties
Holding, Offside, Pass Interference, False Start
Parts of the field
End Zone, Red Zone, Goal Line, Sideline
Game situations
First Down, Fourth Down, Two-Minute Warning, Play Action
Previous days' answers
Missed the last few puzzles? Full answers for the last 3 days, newest first.
NFL Connections #20 — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Categories: Hall of Fame QBs, Hall of Fame RBs, Hall of Fame WRs, Hall of Fame defenders
Reveal answer
Hall of Fame QBs
Montana, Elway, Marino, Unitas
Hall of Fame RBs
Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown
Hall of Fame WRs
Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Cris Carter
Hall of Fame defenders
Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Deion Sanders, Ray Lewis
NFL Connections #19 — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Categories: Offensive skill positions, Offensive line spots, Defensive line spots, Back seven
Reveal answer
Offensive skill positions
Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End
Offensive line spots
Center, Left Tackle, Left Guard, Right Guard
Defensive line spots
Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, Nose Tackle, Edge Rusher
Back seven
Cornerback, Free Safety, Strong Safety, Linebacker
NFL Connections #18 — Monday, August 24, 2026
Categories: AFC West teams, NFC West teams, AFC South teams, NFC South teams
Reveal answer
AFC West teams
Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Chargers
NFC West teams
49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals
AFC South teams
Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans
NFC South teams
Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers
How to play NFL Connections
Tap four of the sixteen tiles you think share a connection, then hit Submit. Get all four right and the group locks in with its category revealed. Get it wrong and you lose one of 4 mistakes — and if three of your four picks share a group, the game tells you that you were "one away." Solve all four groups before your mistakes run out to win the day. Categories are colour-coded yellow (easiest) through purple (hardest), so start with yellow if you're stuck.
Go play today's puzzle »Full puzzle archive
NFL Connections draws from a fixed pool of 8 puzzle formulas and cycles through them in order, one per calendar day, wrapping back to the first after #8. Below is every formula in the rotation with its answer spoiler-gated — handy if you want to check a puzzle from a few cycles back, or just browse the whole set.
Puzzle formula #1 of 8 AFC East teams · NFC East teams · AFC North teams · NFC North teams
AFC East teams
Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets
NFC East teams
Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Commanders
AFC North teams
Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers
NFC North teams
Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings
Puzzle formula #2 of 8 AFC West teams · NFC West teams · AFC South teams · NFC South teams
AFC West teams
Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Chargers
NFC West teams
49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals
AFC South teams
Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans
NFC South teams
Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers
Puzzle formula #3 of 8 Offensive skill positions · Offensive line spots · Defensive line spots · Back seven
Offensive skill positions
Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End
Offensive line spots
Center, Left Tackle, Left Guard, Right Guard
Defensive line spots
Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, Nose Tackle, Edge Rusher
Back seven
Cornerback, Free Safety, Strong Safety, Linebacker
Puzzle formula #4 of 8 Hall of Fame QBs · Hall of Fame RBs · Hall of Fame WRs · Hall of Fame defenders
Hall of Fame QBs
Montana, Elway, Marino, Unitas
Hall of Fame RBs
Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown
Hall of Fame WRs
Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Cris Carter
Hall of Fame defenders
Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Deion Sanders, Ray Lewis
Puzzle formula #5 of 8 Ways to score · Penalties · Parts of the field · Game situations
Ways to score
Touchdown, Field Goal, Safety, Extra Point
Penalties
Holding, Offside, Pass Interference, False Start
Parts of the field
End Zone, Red Zone, Goal Line, Sideline
Game situations
First Down, Fourth Down, Two-Minute Warning, Play Action
Puzzle formula #6 of 8 Super Bowl-winning QBs · Super Bowl-winning coaches · Famous stadiums · NFL offseason
Super Bowl-winning QBs
Brady, Mahomes, Eli Manning, Brees
Super Bowl-winning coaches
Belichick, Andy Reid, Lombardi, Bill Walsh
Famous stadiums
Lambeau Field, Arrowhead, Soldier Field, MetLife
NFL offseason
Draft, Combine, Free Agency, Preseason
Puzzle formula #7 of 8 On-field officials · Types of kick · Pass outcomes · Running plays
On-field officials
Referee, Umpire, Line Judge, Side Judge
Types of kick
Punt, Kickoff, Field Goal Attempt, Onside Kick
Pass outcomes
Completion, Interception, Incompletion, Touchdown Pass
Running plays
Handoff, Draw, Sweep, Dive
Puzzle formula #8 of 8 NFL awards · Playoff rounds · Offensive formations · Defensive schemes
NFL awards
MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player
Playoff rounds
Wild Card, Divisional Round, Conference Championship, Super Bowl
Offensive formations
Shotgun, Pistol, I-Formation, Wildcat
Defensive schemes
Cover 2, Man Coverage, Blitz, Nickel
Frequently asked questions
What are today's NFL Connections answers (#21)?
Puzzle #21 (Thursday, August 27, 2026) has four groups: Ways to score; Penalties; Parts of the field; Game situations. Tap "Reveal today's answer" above to see all sixteen tiles sorted into their groups.
What time does the NFL Connections puzzle reset?
A new puzzle unlocks at midnight UTC — the same moment for every player, regardless of time zone. This page recomputes the current puzzle number in your own browser, so it stays correct even if you load it right around the reset or between our daily rebuilds.
Is there an archive of past NFL Connections puzzles?
Yes. Below the previous-days recap is a full archive of every puzzle formula in the rotation — there are 8 distinct puzzles, and the daily game cycles through them in order, wrapping back to #1 after #8. Each archive entry is spoiler-gated the same way as today's answer.
Do you give hints before the full answer?
Yes. This page leads with the four category names only — no members listed — so you can try to solve the puzzle yourself with just the categories as a nudge. The full sixteen-tile reveal is behind a separate toggle for each puzzle.
How many mistakes am I allowed in NFL Connections?
Four. Every wrong group of four tiles counts as a mistake, and the fourth mistake ends the game and reveals the board. There's no timer — take as long as you want between guesses.
How is this different from NYT Connections or Wordle?
NFL Connections uses the same "sixteen tiles, four hidden groups of four, four mistakes" format popularized by NYT Connections, but every category and overlap trap is built from real NFL teams, positions, rules, and history — nothing generic. It has no relation to Wordle beyond both being free daily word/puzzle games; there is no green/yellow letter feedback here, only the four difficulty colors (yellow to purple) once a group is solved.
Are these answers official or affiliated with the NFL or NYT?
No. NFL Connections is an independent, unofficial SportsMonkie game inspired by the popular grouping-puzzle format. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the NFL or the New York Times, and it uses no team logos or league marks — only factual football terms and names.
Can I play an older puzzle instead of today's?
The daily game always loads the current calendar day's puzzle, but since the pool of puzzle formulas repeats on a fixed cycle, you can browse every formula's answer in the archive below. If you want a random puzzle to play right now, open the game and use its "New puzzle" Unlimited-mode button instead.