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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here 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: Ouch!

Green group hint: Block or protect.

Blue group hint: Not Mark, Luke or John.

Purple group hint: Birmingham Stallions.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Injury verbs.

Green group: Defends.

Blue group: Baseball Matts.

Purple group: Teams in the original USFL.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is injury verbs. The four answers are fracture, pull strain and tear.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is defends. The four answers are blankets, covers, guards and marks.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is baseball Matts. The four answers are Carpenter, Chapman, Holliday and Olson.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams in the original USFL. The four answers are Bandits, Express, Generals and Wranglers.

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A new plus button has appeared in Google Search, letting you upload images and documents for AI-powered analysis via Google AI Mode. Google has not published an official blog post about the button yet, and it is possible that the added function is experimental and available for a handful of users.

Uploading an image or document allows you to use Google AI Mode, where Gemini breaks down the content, allowing queries to be asked about it. For example, if you upload instructions for a model kit, you can ask where to buy certain parts online. If you upload an image of a guitar, you can ask what pickups are used.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The enhanced AI features come to Google Search as the company has made a full pivot to AI in the midst of ongoing competition from ChatGPT maker OpenAI. While the two AI players have been trading blows in terms of features, the recent release of Gemini 3 reportedly put OpenAI in a «code red» position. As a result, OpenAI released its GPT-5.2 model to remain competitive.

The size of Google gives the company an edge. It can simply offer more features per dollar than OpenAI, including terabytes of additional storage in Google Drive for subscribers, along with massive context windows when using its AI tool Gemini.

Gemini 3 was also trained on Google’s own Tensor Processing Unit chips, rather than Nvidia chips. This means the company is not reliant on a third-party chip maker and can still make highly performant AI models. Already, some observers are saying that Google has effectively pulled ahead in the AI race.

Apple has updated its Apple TV app on Android to add Google Cast support, making it easier for Android users to stream shows and movies to their TVs and other bigger-screen devices.

With the new feature, you can now cast content from the Apple TV app on your phone directly to Chromecast devices, Google TV and Android TV-powered televisions and other Cast-enabled screens. Previously, Android phone users were largely limited to watching content on their mobile devices or relying on TVs that already had a native Apple TV app.

Read also: Forget Apple TV Plus, It’s Just Apple TV Now

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What Google Cast support means for Android users

Google Cast is a core feature for many Android users, and its arrival in the Apple TV app closes a long-standing gap compared to Apple’s own AirPlay streaming option.

Once the app is updated, you should see the Cast icon during playback. Tapping it allows you to send Apple TV originals, purchased movies and TV shows to a compatible TV or streaming device without needing any Apple hardware.

Why this update took so long

Apple has gradually expanded Apple TV beyond its own devices, with apps available on smart TVs, streaming boxes, gaming consoles and mobile platforms. Still, Android users have often received fewer features than their iOS counterparts.

The lack of Google Cast support stood out, particularly since most major streaming apps — including Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video and YouTube TV — have supported casting for years.

How to get this update

Google Cast support is rolling out now. You can download the Apple TV app, which launched on Android mobile devices in February, via the Google Play Store. Android users should make sure they’re running the latest version of the Apple TV app to access the feature.

Once updated, watching Apple TV on the big screen should be as simple as tapping the Cast button.