How To Watch NFL Games Without Cable

1. Score big with a live TV streaming service

Popular services like Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV have all NFL channels, including NFL Network and NFL RedZone (depending on your chosen plan and add-ons).

We like YouTube TV ($72.99 a month) for NFL watching because it has all the channels that broadcast NFL games. For the ultimate experience, you can also add NFL RedZone and NFL Sunday Ticket to your plan. 

Hulu + Live TV will be your number one pick if you don’t care for NFL Sunday Ticket and would rather have Disney+ and ESPN+ included in your subscription. Fubo is the superstar of sports, with over 50 popular, niche, and international sports channels.

But before you commit to any, you may want to explore our Best Streaming Services for Sports page to weigh all your options.

2. Stream NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market access

Perhaps you want extra yardage with your streaming TV plan. Live TV streaming services will get you in-market and primetime NFL games, but you’ll need NFL Sunday Ticket to get the out-of-market matchups that air across CBS and FOX on Sunday afternoons.

If your favorite team isn’t local—like you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan living in Vermont—you’ll want out-of-market access to avoid missing games. And that’s where NFL Sunday Ticket comes in.

Offered exclusively through YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels, NFL Sunday Ticket delivers every out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL game. The catch is that it costs hundreds of dollars per season—missing the point that most people cut the cord to save money.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the most expensive TV add-on for YouTube TV subscribers, starting at $349 a season. But for diehard fans who can’t fathom missing a Cowboys matchup, that’s $20+ per game, which is a lot cheaper than a game ticket.

If you’re not a diehard, you may prefer our next (and much cheaper) option for watching out-of-market games.

3. NFL Plus: one service to rule them all

The cheapest all-in-one streaming service for watching the NFL is NFL+.

Forged from the ashes of NFL Game Pass, NFL+ offers two subscription plans. Its basic plan is $6.99 a month and includes live in-market and primetime NFL games for phone and tablet users. So you’ll get access to your local Sunday morning and afternoon games, SNF, and MNF.

But for $14.99 a month, NFL+ Premium users also get NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and full-length replays of every NFL game—meaning you can watch every out-of-market game after the final whistle.

The biggest downside is that you can watch live games only on your smartphone or tablet, and you can watch only replays on your smart TV. But if you’re at the gym on Sunday morning or work Monday nights, just launch the app to watch the game.

NFL+ even has an on-demand library of shows and documentaries like A Football Life and Hard Knocks.

4. Stock up on more streaming services for the NFL season

If you’re looking to save as much money as possible, there are some cheaper streaming services that offer some live NFL game coverage for a fraction of the monthly cost. And there are two you’ll have to subscribe to if you don’t want to miss TNF or some exclusive games.

Peacock Premium is $5.99–$11.99/mo. or $59.99–$119.99/yr. and comes with every NFL on NBC broadcast. That means you can watch all Sunday Night Football games and some NFL playoff games for cheap.

You might remember that last year, Peacock had exclusive rights to Week 16 and a Wild Card game. Here’s a heads-up: Peacock will also get exclusive rights to specific games in 2024.

Paramount+ is an inexpensive option for watching NFL games aired on CBS. ESPN+ was a savior for me for MNF and international games. Amazon Prime Video is essential for all NFL fans who want to catch all TNF games.

Data effective as of post date.

5. Free ways to watch the NFL: antenna TV, Tubi, and more

Hey, we hear you. It’s been a wild time with soaring inflation rates and high gas prices. So signing up for any service—even to watch your beloved team play—might not be your priority. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are still ways to watch NFL games for free.

Our favorite method for watching free NFL games is the old-fashioned over-the-air (OTA) antenna. Of course, the antenna itself isn’t free, and you’ll need a TV with an Antenna In port. But get a quality antenna with a large enough range to pick up your local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates, and you’ll be set to watch local and primetime NFL games for several seasons.

NFL’s YouTube channel and the league’s other social media profiles post new content daily, including NFL game highlights, previews, and studio show clips. So go ahead and bookmark those pages. You can still be the number one NFL fan on a budget.

We’d also be remiss not to mention the free streaming service Tubi also hosts NFL coverage. While there are no live games, you can watch NFL Channel for classic NFL footage and in-season content. Other free services like Pluto TV and the NFL app also carry NFL Channel. But Tubi is the only free service with on-demand FOX Sports content, so you’ll also get some college football and USFL programming.

How to watch the NFL without cable FAQ