The Cord Cutting Report

How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable

By Jim Kimble / Updated January 9, 2023

The 2022-23 NFL regular season is heading into the playoffs, and soon coming to a close. Here is everything you need to know to watch your favorite football team during the regular season.

  • Local broadcasters continue to air the majority of NFL games during the regular season. FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC are key football channels. 
  • You still need ESPN for Monday Night Football, but seven Monday night games will air on ABC this season. 
  • Amazon Prime Video streams Thursday Night Football games live to subscribers.
  • For the first time this year, the new streaming service NFL+ lets you stream live in-market games on your smartphone or tablet.

Table of Contents

How can I watch live NFL games for free?

Watching NFL games for free is one of the big perks for cord-cutters or anyone who uses a TV antenna for local channels.

You don’t need a streaming service to watch in-market football games on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. With the right TV antenna, you can watch these over-the-air TV channels for free. 

Figuring out what is the best TV antenna for your home does take some homework. 

But the payoff is tremendous when you consider how many free NFL games you can watch during the regular season. You don’t even need internet service to start enjoying free over-the-air channels.

If you are new to TV antennas, here is a list of resources that I have written to get you started.

Where can I stream every NFL game?

When it comes to streaming NFL games, there are two kinds of services. The benefit of being a cord-cutter is that you have flexibility with your options. Here is what you need to know.

Cable and satellite TV replacements

TV streaming services are basically full-on cable replacements with local broadcast channels and cable TV networks such as ESPN, NFL Network and NFL RedZone.

DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV have coverage of both local and cable TV channels.

Sling TV has NFL Network and some other key cable TV channels for the 2022 NFL season. (photo credit: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

Each of these services have certain limitations and different price points that are worth evaluating before your favorite NFL team takes to the field. 

Fortunately, three out of the five services still offer a free trial so you can try out the streaming service and cancel without obligation. You just need to cancel the service online before the trial ends to avoid being billed. 

Single channel coverage

Smaller players in the streaming game have entered the field that offers NFL coverage on NBC and CBS.  

Can I watch NFL football on DIRECTV STREAM?

A DIRECTV STREAM subscription includes a number of key channels for every in-market NFL game.

The Entertainment plan includes all your local broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX. You also get ESPN, TNT and FS1. Subscribers get more than 75 channels, unlimited Cloud DVR to record NFL games. There are 40,000 on-demand movies and shows. 

You can sign up for a free 5-day trial without any obligations. 

A subscription costs $74.99 per month. Subscribers can watch live TV channels on up to 20 screens at once. You can get three months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, STARZ, and EPIX for free before the monthly rates kick in.  

There are no contracts. You can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want. DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Smart TVs running on Android TV and Google TV. 

You can look over the different channel lineups before deciding whether to sign up. 

Can I watch every NFL game on fuboTV?

fuboTV has more than 152 channels, including ESPN and local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations. 

So you will be covered for every local, in-market game during the week and Monday Night Football on ESPN. You can look over the fuboTV channel lineup to see which local channels are available in your area.

Subscribers can watch live TV on up to 10 screens at once. You get 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR allowing you to record any NFL game and replay it later.

fuboTV works with all major streaming devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Smart TVs powered by Android TV and Google TV.

fuboTV has a 7-day free trial. A subscription costs $74.99 per month. You aren’t under any obligation to keep the service and can cancel online.

Does Hulu live stream all NFL games?

Hulu Live TV has a full suite of ESPN Networks and all local broadcast channels, including FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC.

You get more than 75 live TV channels and unlimited Cloud DVR. You can watch live TV on two screens so not everyone in your home has to watch the football game every Sunday afternoon and night.

A subscription costs $69.99 per month. ESPN Plus is included with a Hulu Live TV subscription. In 2022, ESPN Plus will stream “NFL PrimeTime” with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.

Subscribers also get Hulu’s full on-demand catalog and a subscription to Disney+. 

Currently, there is no free trial for Hulu Live TV. You can look over which local and regional sports channels are included in the bundle before making any decisions. 

Are NFL games available on Sling TV?

Yes and no. Sling TV is easily the cheapest option for streaming NFL games that air on ESPN and NFL Network. 

But local broadcast channels are limited in most of the U.S. There is no coverage for ABC or CBS. FOX stations are available in 18 markets across the U.S. NBC is available in only 11 markets. 

This interactive map below shows you where NBC and FOX stations are available in the U.S. 

A subscription to one of the main channel bundles (Orange or Blue plan) is $40 per month.

Sling TV is a very good budget pick for NFL fans who only need ESPN, and can use a TV antenna for local in-market games. 

Only Sling Blue includes local NBC and FOX stations along with NFL Network, but no ESPN.

The Sling Orange plan has 34 channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and CNN. You can combine an Orange and Blue plan to combine the channel lineup for $55 per month. 

To watch NFL RedZone, you need to add the Sports Extra bundle which costs $11 per month. 

The Blue plan lets you watch live TV on three screens at once. Orange plan subscribers can watch on one screen at a time.

You can check the latest offer Sling TV is making to new and returning customers. Sling TV has apps for Roku, Fire TV, Smart TVs, Google Chromecast with Google TV and smartphones. 

If you prepay for two months, you can get a free streaming device. 

Can you watch live NFL games on YouTube TV?

Yes. YouTube TV has a similar channel lineup to fuboTV and Hulu Live, but costs a little less at $64.99 per month. 

YouTube TV has more than 85 live TV channels, including all your local broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. 

YouTube TV also has a Sports Plus plan for $10.99 per month that includes NFL RedZone and 13 other channels. 

watch-nfl-games
YouTube TV has apps that support watching NFL games on a TV or smartphone. (photo credit: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

Subscribers to YouTube TV get unlimited Cloud DVR, allowing you to record any in-market NFL game and replay it later. You can watch live TV on three screens at once. 

YouTube TV has apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Smart TVs powered by Android TV and Google TV.

You can check out the latest offer YouTube TV is making to new and returning customers.

Does Vidgo have NFL games?

Yes, Vidgo has more than 110 live TV channels, including ESPN, NFL Network. Local ABC and FOX channels are available in a number of markets across the U.S.

You can record NFL games with 20 hours of Cloud DVR. 

Subscribers can stream on up to three devices at once. Vidgo has apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Google Chromecast with Google TV.

A subscription to Vidgo costs $59.95 per month. There is currently no free trial. You pay month to month in advance. There is no obligation to keep your subscription if it’s not a good fit. You can check out the channel lineup before making any decisions.

Does Paramount Plus have NFL games?

Yes. Paramount Plus streams NFL games live as it airs on CBS. 

The service is the cheapest way to stream all NFL games that are broadcast on CBS without cable TV. A subscription to the Essential plan costs $4.99 per month. There is a free trial for new customers. 

You get access to live NFL games once the game starts by heading over to the “Live TV” tab under the main menu. For more live sports on Paramount Plus, you will need to sign up for the Premium plan. The Premium Plan costs $9.99 per month following a free trial. 

Can you watch NFL games on Peacock?

Peacock is the way to stream any NFL game live that airs on NBC.

But you need to subscribe to the Premium plan to watch live football games. Peacock live streams Sunday Night Football for all 18 weeks of the regular season.

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of Peacock’s Premium plan to start watching NFL games. The Premium plan costs $4.99 per month. Peacock also streams live Notre Dame football games during the college football season.

You can also stream NBC live on a number of live TV streaming services, including DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Vidgo, and YouTube TV.

Can you watch out-of-market games on NFL Plus?

NFL+ allows you to watch local, in-market games during the 2022 regular season, but only on a smartphone or tablet. 

A basic subscription costs $4.99 per month, and gives you access to live in-market games. Subscribers also get to live stream NFL Network, and listen to live audio of games outside of their homes.

There are also on-demand football programs. 

The ad-free tier is NFL+ Premium, which gives subscribers full game replays, and coaches film.

You can try NFL+ free for a week before getting billed. There are no contracts and you can cancel the service anytime.

Watch NFL Games Without Cable FAQs

Here are some questions that NFL fans have about watching live football games without cable TV or satellite. 

Am I able to watch NFL games on Roku?

Yes. You can watch NFL games on a Roku when you subscribe to a TV streaming service. 

DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Vidgo, and YouTube TV all carry cable networks and different local channels in your area. 

watch-nfl-games
YouTube TV has apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Smart TVs and even smartphones. (photo credit: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

Does Yahoo Sports stream NFL games?

No. The 2021 NFL season was the last year Yahoo Sports streamed football games free of charge. According to The Los Angeles Times, the arrival of NFL+ brought an end to free streaming options that were once available on Yahoo Sports and the NFL app.

Are local games blacked out on NFL Sunday Ticket?

Yes. The NFL Sunday Ticket package shows out-of-market Sunday NFL games. So if you are a New England Patriots fan living in Florida, you can watch all the regional Sunday afternoon games on FOX and CBS. 

Likewise, a Dallas Cowboys fan who moved to Idaho, can watch games as if he were still back home. NFL Sunday Ticket is only available in select parts of the U.S. 

It’s hard to tell whether NFL Sunday Ticket will be structured this way forever. This is likely the last year that NFL Sunday Ticket will be part of DIRECTV. 

According to The New York Times, DIRECTV did not make a bid to extend its rights beyond 2022. Apple appears to be the front runner with buying NFL Sunday Ticket and taking over the service in 2023, The Times reports. 

Can I pay to watch individual NFL games?

Currently, there is no streaming service that gives you the option to buy a single game. But you might want to consider tapping into a free trial of a TV streaming service. 

So for example, if you wanted to watch a game that’s airing on ESPN, you could sign up for a free 5-day trial of DIRECTV STREAM. 

If you don’t want to keep the service, you can cancel online before the end of the free trial so you are not billed. 

Can I watch a game on the NFL app?

You can currently watch NFL games on the NFL app when you subscribe to NFL+. New customers can start a free 7-day trial without any obligations. 

NFL Plus essentially replaced NFL Game Pass, which offered out-of-market games during the regular season. 

The arrival of NFL+ also effectively ended the partnership that allowed Verizon customers to watch NFL games on their smartphone. Yahoo Sports will no longer stream NFL games for free as well. 

Can Amazon Prime members stream NFL games?

Yes. Amazon Prime members can stream Thursday Night Football games within the Amazon Prime app. 

Amazon has added a DVR function for all live NFL games it carries. Amazon Prime will have exclusive games this season starting on Sept. 15. If one of the teams is in your local market, you can also watch the Thursday game over-the-air with a TV antenna.

Does the FOX Sports app stream NFL games?

Only subscribers to cable, satellite or a TV streaming service can watch live NFL games on the FOX Sports app.

The FOX Sports app, which replaced FOX Sports Go, carries live streams for local FOX stations, Big Ten Network, FS1 and FS2. 

If you want to watch games for free, try a TV antenna to watch your local FOX station, or a free trial of a TV streaming service.

Are there any NFL games on ABC?

Yes, ABC will simulcast five Monday Night Football games that air on ESPN during the 2022-2023 season. ABC will also simulcast a Doubleheader Saturday on Jan. 7, 2023 airing on ESPN.

You can watch these games for free using a TV antenna, or with a live TV streaming service. 

This article was published on August 30, 2022, and has been updated to reflect new pricing.

For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.