The answer is TWIN. There are four entries in the puzzle which are the names of NFL teams. The clues for those four entries can each clue another NFL team. The singular of that other NFL team is found in another clue. The first letters of the entries corresponding to those other clues spell TWIN. Like so:
22AGIANTS clued as [Big names in industry], which could also clue Titans -> 16A [___ Titan (any one of the main characters on a popular Cartoon Network show)] TEEN
24ACHIEFS clued as [Leaders], which could also clue Commanders -> 18A [Commander in the video game "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen"] WORF
35ABRONCOS clued as [Some horses], which could also clue Colts -> 67A [Colt handle material] IVORY
52ACARDINALS clued as [Religious figures], which could also clue Saints -> 69A [Saint Kitts and ___] NEVIS
In keeping with the TWIN theme, there is another logical path to the answer: if you take the first letter of the city/state where the second team plays, you also get TWIN: Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, and New Orleans Saints. In my original idea for the puzzle, this was actually the only mechanism and the second team names didn't appear in the grid (because I'm pretty sure there's only one other NFL team that works for each of the Schrodinger clues - although Chiefs/Commanders/Giants/Titans all overlap a little in meaning, so sorry if that tripped anybody up), but I wanted there to be more going on in the grid and an extra confirmation of the answer.
Fun one, even for this Aussie! (I always worry once I realise a meta involves US sports! :D)
hoover 🤓11:08 · 2024-08-29T00:08:40.357Z
Fun! I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to get it, but actually GIANTS and CHIEFS popped right out. I did have an uh-oh moment when it looked like my 4LW was going to start out TC__, and I found five different teams that might work for CARDINALS (forgetting the clues and thinking only of birds and saints), but I found my way out of it.
Fun puzzle, and a meta I could solve, huzzah! (I vaguely sensed that the words were familiar, but did not explicitly notice the other appearances… I got there with the alternate team homes.)
whimsy 13:35 · 2024-08-31T03:25:29.662Z
I did the place name route so it was fun to read your explanation of the alternate clues/entries -- and they were symmetric also! Wow! Thanks, Emma!
THe second path was a very nice touch. I got there with the cities and help of 36D. Some great clues, I liked the "Georgia line?" in particular and I am ashamed to admit I had to look up "pursued by bear" but chuckled. One minor sidestep I had was DC Group = CONG. when one of the alternate team names was SENATORS, Hertz and Tesla were certainly TITANS as well as being industry leaders, and Flamingoes are felt to be a representation of the Sun God Ra...Hmmm so is Damefox doing a double double - how apropos of a "two can play". But I abandoned the Zebra in favor of the horse and went with the right answer.