How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable

The cheapest way to watch the NFL without cable is an HD antenna. It picks up your local CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC stations for free, which covers most Sunday afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. For the rest you need two things: a live TV streaming service with ESPN and NFL Network (YouTube TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream), and Prime Video for Thursday Night Football.

Which channels show NFL games

Every NFL game airs on one of a short list of channels. Once you know the channel, you know which services can show it.

Local stations matter more in the NFL than in any other league. On Sunday afternoons, CBS and FOX show different games in different cities, and your local station airs the games picked for your area, usually your home team when it plays. Someone in Green Bay sees the Packers on their local station. Someone in Denver may not see that game at all.

For the exact channel of any game this week, check the NFL TV schedule. Every game has its own page with the national channel, the local stations for both teams and the streaming services that carry them.

The free option: an HD antenna

An antenna is a one-time purchase with no monthly bill. It receives the over-the-air signal from your local CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC stations, the same feed cable companies pass along. That covers:

• Sunday afternoon games on CBS and FOX for your market
• Sunday Night Football on NBC
• Monday Night Football games that are simulcast on ABC
• Thursday Night Football in the two teams' home markets, where local stations usually carry it over the air

Reception depends on how far you live from the broadcast towers and what sits between you and them. A small indoor antenna works in most cities. Farther out, an attic or rooftop antenna pulls in a stronger signal. Look up which stations reach your address before you buy.

What an antenna cannot get you: ESPN, NFL Network and streaming-only games on Prime Video. That is where the services below come in.

Live TV streaming services that carry the NFL

A live TV streaming service is the closest thing to cable without the cable box. You stream the same channels over the internet on a smart TV, Roku, phone or tablet. Here is what each one covers for NFL fans:

• YouTube TV carries CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. It is also where NFL Sunday Ticket is sold.
• Fubo carries CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network, plus many regional sports networks if you follow other sports.
• DirecTV Stream carries CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
• Hulu + Live TV carries CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and ESPN. Check its current lineup if NFL Network games matter to you.
• Sling TV is the lower-cost option. Depending on the package and your market it carries FOX, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network, but not CBS or ABC, so pair it with an antenna.

Local channels on every one of these depend on your ZIP code, because each service needs a deal with each local station. Enter your ZIP code on the service's site to confirm your stations, and check current pricing there before you sign up.

Single-channel streaming apps

If you only care about part of the schedule, a single-network app can replace a full live TV service:

• Paramount+ streams your local CBS station, so it covers CBS Sunday afternoon games.
• Peacock streams NBC, which means every Sunday Night Football game.
• FOX One streams FOX, including FOX Sunday afternoon games.
• The ESPN app, with an ESPN plan, streams ESPN and ABC games, including Monday Night Football.
• Prime Video, included with Amazon Prime, is the home of Thursday Night Football for most of the season.

Two or three of these plus an antenna cover most of the season. The gap is NFL Network, which only comes with a live TV service or NFL+.

Prime-time games

Three prime-time windows draw the biggest audiences each week, and each has a clear home:

• Monday Night Football airs on ESPN, with many games also on ABC or ESPN2. On doubleheader nights the two games can be on different channels.
• Thursday Night Football streams on Prime Video for most of the season, and local stations in the two teams' markets usually carry it too.
• Sunday Night Football airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.

Each of those pages shows this week's matchup, kickoff time and channel.

Out-of-market games: NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL+

If you live outside your favorite team's market, your local CBS and FOX stations show other games on Sunday afternoons. Two products fill that gap:

• NFL Sunday Ticket carries out-of-market Sunday afternoon games. It covers Sunday afternoons only; Monday, Thursday and Sunday night games stay on the national channels above.
• NFL+ streams local and prime-time games on your phone and tablet.

Finding the channel for your team's next game

Every team has a TV schedule page with the channel and kickoff time of each game. A few examples: the Packers, Cowboys, Chiefs and Eagles. Use the NFL schedule to reach any other team.

Game pages list both teams' local channels, the start time in every US time zone and the services that stream it, and they update on their own when a broadcast changes.

The cheapest setup for how you watch

• Your local team only: an antenna. Add NFL+ if you want those games on your phone.
• Every national game: an antenna, Prime Video and the ESPN app cover Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights.
• Everything on one bill: YouTube TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream, plus Prime Video for Thursday nights.
• A team in another city: NFL Sunday Ticket for Sunday afternoons, with one of the setups above for prime time.

If you also follow basketball, the same services handle most of it. See how to watch the NBA without cable, or browse all streaming guides.