If you cut the cord this year, you probably found out on the first Sunday that football is spread across more channels and apps than ever. Figuring out how to watch NFL games without cable means matching each time slot to the right service, then deciding which ones are worth paying for. Get it wrong and you can end up with four subscriptions and still miss your team’s Monday night game.
This guide walks through where every NFL game airs this season, what each NFL streaming option costs, and which combinations make sense for different kinds of fans. Prices come from Consumer Reports’ NFL streaming guide, updated in September 2026. NFL streaming prices change often, so check the current price before you sign up.
Table of Contents
Where every NFL game airs in 2026
Before you pick a service, it helps to know who owns which games. The NFL sells its TV rights in packages, and each package goes to a different network or tech company. Once you know the map, the question of how to watch NFL games without cable becomes a lot simpler.
- Sunday afternoon: CBS and Fox split the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET games. Which games you see depends on where you live.
- Sunday Night Football: NBC, with a simulcast on Peacock. NBC also had the season opener on September 9 and has the Thanksgiving night game.
- Monday Night Football: ESPN, with some games also on ABC.
- Thursday Night Football: Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming service.
- Netflix games: Netflix streamed the September 10 game in Melbourne between the 49ers and Rams. It also has a game on November 25, two games on Christmas Day and a Week 18 game on January 9.
- Super Bowl LXI: ABC and ESPN, on February 14, 2027.
That is six different companies for one season of football. The good news is that most fans do not need all of them, because the games that matter to you depend on your team and where you live.
How to watch NFL games without cable for free
The cheapest answer is also the oldest one. CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC are broadcast networks, and your local stations send their signal over the air for free. A digital TV antenna picks up those stations in HD with no monthly bill.
With an antenna you get your local Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox, Sunday Night Football on NBC and any Monday night games that air on ABC. That covers a large share of the season, and it is the backbone of most cheap NFL streaming setups.
There is one more free bonus. Under NFL rules, games on Prime Video, ESPN and Netflix are also shown on a local broadcast station in the home markets of the two teams playing. If you live in your team’s market, you can often watch those games on the antenna as well.
Check your signal before you buy an antenna
Reception depends on how far you are from the broadcast towers and what is in the way. The FCC’s DTV reception maps let you type in your address and see which stations you should be able to pick up and how strong each signal is.
If the stations are close and the signal is strong, a flat indoor antenna near a window is usually enough. If they are 30 or more miles away, an outdoor or attic antenna will do a better job. Rescan for channels on your TV after you install it, and again whenever you move it.
Antenna limits to know
An antenna only gets the games your local stations air. If you live in Ohio and follow the Seahawks, CBS and Fox will mostly show you the Bengals, Browns or a national game instead. An antenna also does nothing for Thursday Night Football or ESPN-only games outside your team’s market.
NFL streaming services by network
If the antenna does not cover everything you want, the next step is to add the specific NFL streaming service for the games you are missing. This is usually cheaper than a full live TV package, and you can cancel each one when the season ends.
CBS games on Paramount+
Paramount+ streams your local CBS station, which means the CBS Sunday afternoon games in your area. Consumer Reports lists the two plans at $9 and $14 a month. It is a good NFL streaming option if the antenna signal for your CBS station is weak.
Sunday Night Football on Peacock
Peacock carries Sunday Night Football alongside NBC. Consumer Reports lists Peacock at $13 a month or $130 a year, and Peacock Premium Plus at $20 a month. Peacock also streams your local NBC station in many areas, which helps if you can’t get NBC with an antenna.
Monday Night Football on ESPN
ESPN’s streaming plan, ESPN Unlimited, gives you the full ESPN network without a cable login. It costs $32 a month or $320 a year, according to Consumer Reports. That is expensive for one game a week, so most fans add it only during the season or skip it if their team rarely plays on Monday.
Thursday Night Football on Prime Video
Thursday games stream on Prime Video. If you already have Amazon Prime at $139 a year, you get Thursday Night Football at no extra cost. A Prime Video subscription by itself is $9 a month.
Netflix games
The Netflix games are included in any Netflix plan, including the cheaper plan with ads. With only a handful of games, Netflix is rarely worth adding just for football. If you already pay for it, you are covered on Christmas Day.
Fox games
Fox games come through your local Fox station. The easiest route is an antenna. If you need to stream Fox, the live TV services below all include it in most markets.
NFL+ and NFL Sunday Ticket
The league sells two products of its own, and they solve very different problems.
NFL+
NFL+ lets you watch your local and primetime games live, but only on a phone or tablet. You can’t cast those live games to a TV. Consumer Reports lists NFL+ at $7 a month or $50 a year, and NFL+ Premium at $15 a month or $100 a year. Premium adds full game replays and the All-22 coaches film after the games end.
NFL+ is a smart NFL streaming pick for fans who are often away from a TV on Sundays, or who like to rewatch games. It is not a replacement for a TV setup.
NFL Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket is sold through YouTube. It shows out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, which are the CBS and Fox games your local stations do not air. Consumer Reports lists it at $480 for the season on its own and $378 if you also have YouTube TV, with promotional prices as low as $240 for some new subscribers.
Sunday Ticket does not include your local CBS and Fox games, and it does not include Sunday night, Monday night or Thursday night games. It is built for fans who live far from their team. If you live in your team’s home market, you do not need it.
Live TV streaming services that include NFL games
If you would rather have one app with most channels, a live TV streaming service is the closest thing to cable. These services carry local broadcast stations plus ESPN and other cable networks. They cost much more than an antenna, but they cover more games in one place.
Here are the prices Consumer Reports listed for the base plans in September 2026:
- YouTube TV: $83 a month. Includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC and ESPN in most markets, and it is the only service that sells Sunday Ticket as an add-on.
- Hulu + Live TV: $90 a month. Includes the local networks and ESPN, and bundles Disney+ and the ESPN streaming service.
- Fubo Pro: $89 a month. A sports-focused service with local networks and ESPN.
- DirecTV: plans from $90 a month.
- Sling Orange & Blue: $61 a month. It is cheaper, but it does not carry CBS, so pair it with an antenna or Paramount+.
Availability of local channels varies by zip code, so enter your zip code on each service’s website before you subscribe. Most of these NFL streaming services offer free trials for new customers, which can cover the first week or two of the season.
Which NFL streaming setup fits you
There is no single best answer, because it depends on where you live, which team you follow and how many games you want each week. These four setups cover most fans.
The budget fan
For most people, the cheapest way to watch NFL games without cable is an antenna plus Amazon Prime. It covers your local Sunday games, Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. If you already have Prime, this setup costs nothing beyond the antenna. You miss the ESPN-only Monday games unless your team is playing and the game is on local TV.
The local team fan
An antenna plus Prime and ESPN Unlimited for the season gets you every game your team plays, as long as you live in its home market. Cancel ESPN in January if your team misses the playoffs.
The out-of-market fan
If your team plays in another part of the country, you need Sunday Ticket for its Sunday afternoon games. The cheapest way to get Sunday Ticket is often with YouTube TV, which also covers your local channels and ESPN.
The all-games fan
YouTube TV with Sunday Ticket, plus Prime Video and Netflix, covers almost every game of the season. It is also the most expensive way to watch NFL games without cable. Over five months, YouTube TV with Sunday Ticket alone comes to about $793.
Why your local NFL games are different from a friend’s
If you call a friend in another state on Sunday, you may notice that you are watching different games. CBS and Fox decide which games each local station shows. Your local team’s games almost always air in its home market, and the rest of the slot is filled by games the network thinks your region will want to watch.
That is why out-of-market fans need Sunday Ticket, and it is also why a VPN does not help with local games. The streaming services check your location to decide which local station you get, and using a VPN to fake your location breaks their terms of service.
Primetime games are different. Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night games are national, so everyone in the country sees the same game on the same service.
What a season of NFL streaming costs
Monthly prices hide the real cost, so it helps to add up a full season. The regular season runs from September into early January, so most fans need a service for about five months, or six if they want the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Using the Consumer Reports prices, here is what five months of each setup costs:
- Antenna and Prime: $139 for a year of Prime, which many households already pay for shopping.
- Antenna, Prime and ESPN Unlimited: $139 plus $160 for ESPN, or $299.
- Sling Orange & Blue and Paramount+: $305 plus $45, or $350.
- YouTube TV and Sunday Ticket: $415 plus $378, or $793, before Prime or Netflix.
Compare those numbers with your old cable bill. For many fans, the way to watch NFL games without cable that saves the most is simple: pay for each service only in the months you use it, and keep the antenna as your free base. Most NFL streaming services let you cancel online at any time, and you keep access until the end of the billing period you already paid for.
Equipment you need for NFL streaming on a TV
You do not need special hardware to watch NFL games without cable. Most smart TVs made in the last few years have apps for YouTube TV, Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, ESPN and Netflix. If your TV is older or its apps are slow, a streaming stick from Roku, Amazon, Google or Apple will cost less than one month of a live TV service.
Your internet speed matters more than the device. NFL streaming needs a steady connection, especially in 4K. If several people in your home stream at the same time, a faster plan or a wired Ethernet connection to the TV can stop buffering during big plays. Streams also run a little behind the antenna signal, so if a friend texts about a touchdown before you see it, that delay is the reason.
Mistakes to avoid when you stream NFL games
The most common NFL streaming mistake is paying for more than you watch. People sign up for a live TV service in September and keep paying through the summer. Set a reminder to cancel or pause services when the season ends.
The second is using free pirate streams. Search for free NFL streams and you will find sites full of pop-ups, fake download buttons and requests to install browser extensions. These sites are illegal, the quality is poor, and they are a common way for malware and scam ads to reach your phone or laptop. An antenna is free and legal, so there is no reason to risk it.
The third is forgetting about blackouts on NFL+. Live games on NFL+ are limited to phones and tablets, and they follow the same local and primetime rules as TV. It will not show you an out-of-market Sunday afternoon game.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to watch NFL games without cable?
A one-time purchase of a digital antenna is the cheapest option. It gets you local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC games for free. Add Amazon Prime for Thursday games if you already have it.
Can I watch NFL games for free online?
Yes, you can watch NFL games without cable for free in a few legal ways. Local games are free with an antenna, and many streaming services offer free trials for new customers. Pirate streams are not legal and often carry malware.
Do I need Sunday Ticket if I live near my team?
No. Your team’s games air on your local CBS or Fox station when they play on Sunday afternoon. Sunday Ticket is for out-of-market games only.
Is NFL streaming on NFL+ available on a TV?
Not for live games. NFL+ streams live local and primetime games on phones and tablets only. Replays with NFL+ Premium can be watched on more devices.
Which NFL streaming service has the most games?
YouTube TV comes closest, because it carries the local networks and ESPN and is the only service that sells Sunday Ticket. You still need Prime Video for Thursday games and Netflix for the Netflix games.
Will the Super Bowl be free to watch?
Super Bowl LXI is on ABC and ESPN on February 14, 2027. ABC is a broadcast network, so you can watch it for free with an antenna.
Can I use a VPN to watch NFL games without cable from another market?
Streaming services do not allow it, and they actively block many VPNs. If you want out-of-market Sunday games, Sunday Ticket is the legal option.
If you are new to the rules too, our guide to NFL overtime rules explains the regular season and playoff overtime changes. For the full NFL streaming price list and updates during the season, see Consumer Reports’ guide to streaming NFL games.
