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How to Watch NFL Games Live Without Cable 2024
Whether you want to follow the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs or keep up with up-and-comers like the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, there are countless ways to catch NFL football without a cable subscription. Read on for the top places you can watch NFL games on a streaming service today.
Where to watch NFL Games
The NFL has contracts with several major networks and streaming services, so you’ll have plenty of options for finding games to watch. Depending on the day of the week, you can find NFL games on CBS/Paramount Plus (most AFC games), Fox (most NFC games), ESPN (“Monday Night Football”), NFL Network (international games), ESPN Plus (select games), NBC/Peacock (“Sunday Night Football”), and even Amazon Prime (“Thursday Night Football”).
If you opt for live TV streaming services over cable, you can pick and choose the right mix for your needs and watch the games from anywhere. Plus, most streamers offer unlimited DVR space for you to record games and catch up later. Here are the main places where you can watch NFL football in 2023.
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Hulu + Live TV |
DIRECTV STREAM |
Fubo* |
Sling TV |
YouTube TV |
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| CBS |
✓ |
✓ |
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| ESPN |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| ESPN Plus |
✓ |
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| Fox |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
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| NBC |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
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| *If you live in an area where a regional sports network (RSN) is available and subscribe to a plan offering RSNs, an additional fee will be added to your monthly price | |||||
How to watch NFL games on Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is another place where you can find NFL games streaming today. On top of the impressive on-demand library of shows and movies, Hulu + Live TV offers more than 90 live channels, including ESPN, NFL Network and your local CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates. Plans range from $76.99 per month to $89.99 per month. Regardless of which Hulu plan you choose, you’ll have access to every live channel in Hulu’s lineup (you’ll just get on-demand content without ads in the top-tier plan).
Overall, Hulu + Live TV offers a well-rounded lineup of sports, news and entertainment coverage. It even includes the Disney Plus Bundle, which gets you access to additional NFL coverage on ESPN Plus with no extra cost. This is a nice bonus for football fans, as it includes select ESPN simulcasts and deep analysis, plus live college football and all live XFL games. For $9.99 a month, you can also take your coverage a step further with the Sports Add-On, which includes NFL RedZone.
Overall, Hulu + Live TV is a great choice for football fans who also want on-demand content. Unfortunately, there’s not currently a free trial, and you won’t find most regional sports coverage here.
How to watch NFL games on DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM offers a streaming experience that’s almost like watching cable, complete with a similar channel guide and lineup. You’ll find most channels for watching NFL football in the Entertainment plan, which includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN. Between those four channels, you’ll have access to most NFL games other than “Thursday Night Football.”
Overall, DIRECTV STREAM is a great streaming option for sports fans, as it includes a wide range of sports channels and you can upgrade to Choice or any of the top three packages to get regional sports networks like Bally Sports thrown in. DIRECTV STREAM packages range from $79.99 a month to $164.99 a month, and you can test out any of them with a five-day DIRECTV STREAM free trial.
How to watch NFL games with Fubo
Fubo is, arguably, the best streaming service for sports fans. The basic plan includes more sports than any other platform, and you can expand that by upgrading your plan or adding the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on.
Fubo offers three plans, ranging from $79.99 to $99.99, and you can try any of them free for seven days. Its basic Pro plan already includes 160 channels, including not only CBS, NBC, ESPN and Fox but also NFL Network, beIN Sports, FS1 and local Bally Sports channel. The top-tier plans add additional sports, news and entertainment, but you’ll have all your main football games in the basic plan. If you really want to supplement how you watch NFL games with deep analysis, tack on the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99 a month to get 360-degree coverage of Sunday football matchups on NFL RedZone.
How to watch NFL games with Sling TV
If you’re wondering, “How can I watch football without cable,” Sling TV offers a more limited option. You can access NFL games on ESPN with Sling Orange, stream select international and late-season games on NFL Network with Sling Blue, or get both with Sling Orange & Blue. The first two options cost $40 per month, while the complete package costs $55 per month. In select markets, you’ll also get Fox and NBC with Sling Blue or Orange & Blue. Be sure to check what’s available in your area on Sling’s website.
Sling TV doesn’t offer as much NFL coverage as some of its competitors, but it’s a great low-budget choice that will satisfy some sports fans. You’ll get most of today’s most popular entertainment and news networks, plus you can add NFL RedZone with the Sports Extra add-on for Sling Blue or Orange & Blue, for $11 per month or $15 per month, respectively. There's not currently a free trial for Sling TV, but the streamer often offers discounts for new subscribers. Keep in mind that Sling’s plans only include 50 hours of DVR storage, so you may want to upgrade to DVR Plus for $5 per month to get 200 hours of storage.
How to watch NFL games on YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers perhaps the most enticing option of all for die-hard NFL fans. Not only will you get ESPN, NFL Network and your local CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates, but you also have the option to stream every out-of-market Sunday game with NFL Sunday Ticket. YouTube TV is currently offering this over-the-top service to subscribers at a discounted rate of $349 per year, and you can tack on NFL RedZone for an additional $40.
All in all, YouTube TV offers a well-rounded channel lineup that will satisfy all kinds of sports fans, along with those who want plenty of other cable programming. The base plan includes over 100 channels, and you can add additional sports coverage (including NFL RedZone) with the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99 a month. The biggest downside is that you won’t find most regional channels like Bally Sports. YouTube TV usually offers free trials of anywhere from five to 14 days.
‘Sunday Night Football’ on Peacock
Peacock offers yet another way to watch NFL football. Throughout the season, this over-the-top streaming service simulcasts NBC’s exclusive “Sunday Night Football” matchups, plus the big Thanksgiving game. This season, Peacock will even feature one exclusive matchup of its own — Buffalo Bills vs. LA Chargers on Dec. 23, 2023. Whether you just want to watch “Sunday Night Football” or you want a way to stream your NBC broadcast from anywhere, Peacock offers an affordable option. Plans start at $5.99 a month.
AFC NFL Games on Paramount Plus
As Peacock does with NBC, Paramount Plus offers simulcasts of all CBS games throughout the season. Because CBS has rights to most AFC matchups, this means you can find quite a few games on Paramount Plus. Any game that’s broadcast on your local CBS station will also air here. If your home team is in the AFC, this might be the best way for you to watch NFL games. Plans start at $5.99 per month, and you can try it free for one week.
‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon Prime Video
If you want to catch the NFL’s popular “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts, there’s only one option: Amazon Prime. This platform has exclusive rights to livestream every Thursday night matchup (except for week one and Thanksgiving), and games are included with every Amazon Prime subscription. This year, you can also catch the Black Friday matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets only on Amazon Prime. To watch, simply sign into your Prime account on the Prime Video app on your mobile device or preferred streaming device, find “Thursday Night Football,” and click play.
NFL schedule 2023
If you’re still wondering how to watch NFL football, it may be easiest to review a schedule. Below is a look at where you can find every week one NFL game. Get the full schedule on ESPN.
Watch NFL games without cable
Nowadays, there are plenty of ways to watch NFL football without a cable subscription. With live streaming services, you can watch your favorite NFL teams from anywhere and record matches to watch later. Platforms like Fubo and YouTube TV offer the most extensive NFL coverage options, but you can opt for more selective, low-budget options, as well. Either way, there are a lot of places to find NFL games streaming today.
FAQ
Can I watch NFL games live for free?
The easiest way to watch football without cable for free is to use your TV antenna to catch broadcasts on CBS, Fox or NBC. However, if you don’t have a strong signal or you travel often, it may work better to find a streaming service that includes these channels along with some of the other places to watch NFL football.
Does the NFL app stream all NFL games?
The NFL app, available for iOS and Android devices, streams live out-of-market preseason games and primetime regular season matchups that air in your local area. You’ll need an NFL Plus membership to access these livestreams, though, and that starts at $4.99 per month.
How do I get NFL Sunday Ticket?
NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusively offered through YouTube. YouTube TV subscribers can get the service added on, with or without NFL RedZone, for a discounted price. If you want the service by itself without a YouTube TV subscription, it will cost you $100 more per year.
