fuboTV will get you most, if not all, your NFL games in 2020—and for a reasonable price. That said, DIRECTV with NFL SUNDAY TICKET is a must-have for the fan who has to see every game this season. For more details, we break down the pros and cons of these two services, and more, below.
Before we go any further, you’ll need to know that NFL games are on the following channels:
You’ll want a streaming or TV package that has all five channels to get every primetime and in-market game. If you’re okay missing some NFL football here and there, grab an HD antenna to get in-market and primetime games on your local CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates.
If it’s an all-access ticket to NFL games you’re looking for, then DIRECTV is your obvious pick. With ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, and exclusive access to NFL SUNDAY TICKET, DIRECTV has your NFL wants—and dare we say, needs—covered.
While you might be tempted to get DIRECTV’s SELECT package for it’s cheaper price, we want to direct your attention to the real DIRECTV game-changer: the CHOICE package.
Starting at $69.99 a month, the CHOICE package has the same ESPN, NFL Network, FOX, and CBS coverage that the lower-tier packages have with the added access to the NFL SUNDAY TICKET that they don’t.
While DIRECTV has better coverage than the Legion of Boom ever did, its dominance doesn’t stop there. You get access to almost 200 additional channels for any non-football viewing time (does that even exist?) and an amazing DVR.
In addition to the price hike, little fees like the $19.98 activation fee and the $9 a month Regional Sports Fee can start to add up. And don’t forget that NFL SUNDAY TICKET after the first year costs around $293.94 a season. Yikes.
So DIRECTV is expensive, but if football is your life, then we think it’s the best option.
Chances are you already have Amazon Prime. If you don’t and you want to watch Thursday Night Football games, you should seriously consider signing up. Thanks to an exclusive TV deal with NFL Network, Prime Video is streaming 11 games on Thursday during the 2020 NFL season—and for cheap.
That said, if you just have to watch every Thursday night game, go with a TV service that offers NFL Network like fuboTV. Or if you don’t want to pay for a monthly subscription, get an HD antenna so you can watch most Thursday night games for free on FOX and CBS.
fuboTV is an excellent choice for cord-cutting sports fans now that it has added ESPN. That’s why we’ve awarded it best streaming service for sports in 2020.
With the addition of ESPN, you’ll get Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football (via NFL Network), and every in-market NFL game (through local affiliate channels).
The downside of going with fuboTV over NFL SUNDAY TICKET is that you won’t get every NFL game. Given the monthly price difference ($54.99 per month vs. $69.99 per month) and the vastly different contracts (month-to-month vs. two years with a price hike in the second year), we say fuboTV is still worth it.
And, again, fuboTV will get you a ton of other pro sports channels (like NBA TV and MLB TV) at a reasonable price.
If you’re a die-hard, paint-your-face-every-Sunday home team fan looking for a good deal, then the classic antenna might be the perfect solution for you.
But hold up. Did hearing the word “antenna” throw you into nightmares of foil-covered bunny ears? Fear no more. The antenna has changed a lot since you were adjusting them in your parents’ basement.
They’re smaller, lighter, and actually fit behind your TV—no more eye sore. They’re also surprisingly affordable. We recommend the Mohu Leaf 50. It’s easy to install and has great picture quality. Most importantly, as a one-time purchase of about $50, it sure beats out streaming, cable, and satellite TV subscription prices.
If you have the patience of Le’Veon Bell, you should consider trying out NFL Game Pass. For $99.99 a season, you can stream all out-of-market games once they’ve aired and preseason games live. There’s even a spoiler-free feature to help keep final scores a secret.
If you’re a hardcore fan, get the DIRECTV CHOICE package with free NFL SUNDAY TICKET for a year.
If you’re okay missing some out-of-market games, we recommend fuboTV. You’ll save some serious cash and get local channels to boot.
NFL SUNDAY TICKET is a service offered through DIRECTV that gets you access to all out-of-market NFL games. Yeah, you heard us right. All. The. Games.
If you’re thinking, “But isn’t there more?,” DIRECTV created NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX just for you. NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX adds NFL RedZone and DIRECTV FANTASY ZONE to all your out-of-market games.
NFL RedZone is your guaranteed one-stop shop for all NFL touchdowns. It broadcasts every team inside the red zone every Sunday afternoon, so you catch all the biggest moments.
During the 2020 season, Amazon Prime will stream 11 of the Thursday Night Football games for $8.99 to $11.99 per month.
Yes, you can stream NFL games if you’re signed up for Hulu + Live TV. With Hulu Live, you can stream channels like CBS, FOX, and ESPN, but it’s missing the NFL Network, so you won’t get everything.
You can get your local team’s in-market coverage with an HD antenna, or you can snag Monday and Thursday night games with streaming services like fuboTV or Amazon Prime Video.
For most of us, the answer is no. For a lucky few, the answer is yes.
DIRECTV just started offering NFL SUNDAY TICKET as a standalone service, but you have to fit some very specific criteria. You must live in certain cities, have an apartment that cannot access DIRECTV, or be a student at specific universities.
So we think you should test if your location checks out before you get too excited.
NFL Game Pass costs $99.99 a year, or four installments of $29.99. While that is a high one-time fee, it does get you all live preseason games and full-game replays of every NFL game.
Yes. If you have a TV subscription you can log on to the NFL app or head to NFL.com/watch with your streaming service or TV provider login and stream right away. If you’ve already cut the cord, then you can watch NFL Network through a live TV streaming service like fuboTV.
With NFL games on ESPN, FOX, CBS, NBC, and the NFL Network, chances are most streaming services will get you some NFL coverage.
If you’re looking specifically for NFL Network, stick to fuboTV. If ESPN covers your needs, then Hulu Live, YouTube TV, or Sling TV would all be good picks. If you want our opinion, fuboTV is the best pick since it gets you both.
No, you can’t watch NFL games free online. While the NFL mobile app is free to download, you have to log in with your streaming service or TV provider info to get your live in-market and primetime games.
The only way to get truly free games online is to get a free trial from a streaming service. (You could try to pirate NFL game, but we would never recommend that, now would we?)
Yes, the NFL mobile app allows you to stream all 11 playoff games, but, again, you have to have a TV provider login.
DIRECTV offers NFL SUNDAY TICKET, which will get you every out-of-market NFL game. Combining the DIRECTV CHOICE package—which comes with free NFL SUNDAY TICKET for a year—with a basic HD Antenna for local network coverage should get you access to every NFL game.
The best way to watch the playoffs is with an HD antenna (like these), which should get you CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC (and all the playoff games) for a one-time payment of $20 to $50. Fair-weather fans need not spend a grip of cash to watch the playoffs (we kid, we kid).
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