| 100% | COACH | 5 | With 27-Across, nickname for football's Sanders, after his playing days |
| 69% | NEONDEION | 9 | Nickname for football's Sanders, during his playing days |
| 41% | COACHPRIME | 10 | New nickname for football's Deion Sanders |
| 37% | GOBLIN | 6 | With 27 Across, Oxford's Word of the Year for 2022, defined as self-indulgent behavior |
| 37% | POTSIE | 6 | “Happy Days” character who got his nickname from his childhood affinity for crafting with clay |
| 36% | ROGER | 5 | With 27-Across, British actor known for playing 13-Across, Beau Maverick on "Maverick," and James Bond |
| 35% | NEON | 4 | With 62-Across, nickname for former N.F.L. star Sanders |
| 34% | NEON | 4 | Nickname for Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders |
| 34% | SWAMP | 5 | Nickname for the Florida Gators football stadium, with "the" |
| 33% | BOSTON | 6 | With 32-Across, team that 18-Across played for his whole 19-year professional career |
| 33% | PLACEA | 6 | With 96 Across, play roulette, for example |
| 33% | CHARLIEHUSTLE | 13 | Nickname of 15-Across in his playing days: 2 wds. |
| 32% | IRONHORSE | 9 | Nickname that Lou Gehrig earned for his endurance, with “the” |
| 31% | AIRNESS | 7 | Nickname for Michael Jordan, with "His" |
| 31% | VOLODYMYR | 9 | With 27 Across, Time's Person of the Year of 2022 |
| 31% | THEROCKET | 9 | Nickname for many sportsmen with ''R'' names |
| 31% | TRIBE | 5 | Nickname for baseball's Indians, with "the" |
| 31% | MERC | 4 | Nickname for Chicago's exchange, with "the" |
| 31% | MAR | 3 | Month after the one with a leap day, for short |
| 30% | LOUISVILLELIP | 13 | Nickname for 18-Across, with "The": 2 wds. |
| 30% | LINC | 4 | Nickname for the Philadelphia Eagles' stadium, with "the" |
| 30% | FAT | 3 | Nickname for France's Louis VI, with "the" |
| 30% | GREASYNEALE | 11 | Football Hall-of-Famer with a nickname befitting his elusiveness on the field |
| 30% | LOU | 3 | Nickname for Missouri's second-largest city, with "the" |
| 30% | SIGHOF | 6 | With 37 Across, ''Alas!'', for instance |
| 30% | BETWEENAROCK | 12 | With 27 Across, dilemma-bound |
| 30% | DOUBLE | 6 | With 63-Across, tricky football play ... as represented by this puzzle's shaded squares? |
| 29% | BIGA | 4 | Nickname for major-league baseball's Angel Stadium, with "the" |
| 29% | BAMA | 4 | Another nickname for college football's Crimson Tide |
| 29% | TUNA | 4 | Nickname for football coach Bill Parcells |