NFL game broadcasts are scattered across several channels, which can be a problem for cord cutters. Our picks for the best football streaming sites allow you to catch all the action, and we’ll tell you where you can stream every game this season, too.
How to Watch the NFL Without Cable If you’ve ditched your cable company in favor of one (or several) video streaming services, you can still watch most of the live sports you want, including NFL broadcasts. On-demand services such as Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max don’t offer live sports though, so you need to subscribe to a cable-replacement service that streams live channels. Not all these live streaming services are ideal for NFL fans, as they may be missing some key coverage networks. If you are looking to watch sports other than the NFL, check out our roundup of how to watch every sport without cable. You should also consider the features and other content a service offers to determine which is the best value for your household. National vs. Local Broadcasts NFL games generally air at four time slots on different networks during the regular season: Thursday Night Football (Amazon Prime Video, FOX, and NFL Network), Sunday afternoons (CBS and FOX), Sunday Night Football (NBC), and Monday Night Football (ESPN). Note that some Thursday Night Football games are exclusive to the NFL Network. Broadcasts of playoff games are split between CBS, ESPN, FOX, and NBC. The best NFL streaming services include all of these channels, or at least the vast majority of them. Not all broadcasts are the same, however. For instance, which NFL games you can watch on Sunday afternoons depends on your local market. These games are carried on local affiliate channels and are subject to the same blackout rules as cable broadcasts. The NFL matchups on Sunday nights and every other day of the week are national broadcasts, so you can watch them regardless of your location. Playoff games and the Super Bowl are also televised to national audiences. NFL Week 11 Broadcast Schedule Below is the broadcast schedule for week 10 of the NFL’s regular season per the NFL’s official site. Pay attention to the broadcast network listed next to the game you want to watch and ensure that whatever streaming service you choose offers those channels. We update this list each week with the new matchups. Note that some games may be rescheduled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Thursday (11/19) 8:20 p.m. EST Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (FOX, NFL Network, and Prime Video)Sunday (11/22) 1:00 p.m. EST Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (FOX) Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Football Team (CBS) Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers (FOX) New England Patriots at Houston Texans (CBS) Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns (FOX) Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS) Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens (CBS) 4:05 p.m. EST Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos (CBS) New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers (CBS) 4:25 p.m. EST Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (FOX) Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts (FOX) 8:20 p.m. EST Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders (NBC)Monday (11/23) 8:15 p.m. EST Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN) *On Bye: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ersCable and Over-the-Air Options One of the easiest ways to ensure complete coverage of national and in-market games is to sign up for a cable plan. Note that if you go this route, you will likely pay more than any video streaming service and will lose out on other conveniences, such as better-designed interfaces and support for more platforms. NFL Sunday Ticket is one of the few legitimate options for watching out-of-market regular-season games live. This service is available as a cable add-on (exclusive to AT&T’s DirecTV cable branch) or online for people who are unable to get DirecTV cable. This service is ideal for football fans who live outside of their favorite team’s home market. Streaming cable over the air via an antenna is another option for watching broadcast channels (such as CBS, FOX, and NBC), though your success may vary depending on your location and the strength of the signal in your home. You also need to buy and set up an antenna for this method. Sling TV is the only video streaming service on this list that integrates with over-the-air channels. Other Ways to Stream NFL Games Paid services are not your only options to stream NFL games. For instance, you can watch in-market NFL games on Sunday afternoon as well as prime-time Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football broadcasts via the free Yahoo Sports app or NFL app for iOS and Android. Note that neither app supports casting of any kind and that some games require you to stream them over a cellular connection. The streaming quality of both apps was excellent in testing over Wi-Fi. The Yahoo Sports App now even includes a co-watching feature that allows you to watch the game with up to three friends. If you search for any NFL matchup and concatenate „live stream“ to your search query, some site likely has a stream, legitimate or not. PCMag does not condone content piracy. If you do find a reliable stream, make sure to protect yourself with the right security tools, such as ad and script blockers, privacy extensions, and of course, a VPN. Many video streaming services do not allow VPN usage, which prevents you from spoofing your location to get games in a different coverage market. The NFL RedZone channel is another option for people who want to watch scoring highlights on Sunday afternoons or keep up with fantasy football stats in real time. At the time of writing, only fuboTV and YouTube TV offer packages with this channel. The Best Sports Streaming Services If you really are not interested in the NFL, there are other sports streaming services you should consider. Dazn is an excellent option for MMA and boxing fans.
