How to watch NFL games without cable: The best streaming deals for football

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It’s finally that time again: a new NFL season is upon us. That means it’s also time to get all of your streaming services in order.

Notorious gatekeepers of their broadcasts, watching NFL games has become a tangled web of subscriptions. Even if you still have cable, you’re going to need a couple of extra subscriptions to watch every game. We’ve done our best to sort out all the complicated details for you.

If you want to watch your favorite teams battle it out this season with or without cable, here’s everything you need to know — including the cheapest possible way to do so (legally).

How to watch NFL games during the 2025–2026 season

Since no single network owns the rights to every game, watching your favorite teams isn’t as cut and dry in the NFL as it is with some other sports. And now with streaming services throwing hats in the ring, even cable TV subscribers will need a few extras to catch every game.

Here’s the general schedule each week for the 2025–2026 season:

• Thursday Night Football kicks off the week exclusively on Prime Video (starting week two)

• Sunday afternoon games air on CBS (stream on Paramount+) for AFC teams and FOX (stream on Fox One) for NFC teams

• Sunday Night Football games air on NBC and stream on Peacock

• Monday Night Football games air on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ (stream on ESPN Unlimited)

• NFL Network will also broadcast seven different games throughout the season

• Netflix will once again broadcast two games on Christmas Day this season

• YouTube, for the first time, will broadcast the Chiefs vs. Chargers game week 1 from São Paulo, Brazil

If you don’t have cable, you have an abundance of options for watching games live. If you’re a casual fan, you can simply invest in a digital TV antenna to catch local games and nationally broadcast games live on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. Beyond football, a digital antenna will also grant you free access to local news, nationally broadcast events like the Grammys or Oscars, and other network programming. If you’re reasonably close to your local TV stations, you should be able to pick up at least the four main networks. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to access ESPN.

You can also sign up for a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Fubo to get access to local networks, plus a ton of other channels. Live TV streaming services can be pretty pricey, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. This option will get you ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network in most markets. No need to be close to your local TV stations.

With either option you choose, you’ll still have to sign up for Prime Video if you want to watch Thursday Night Football games and Netflix for the two games on Christmas Day. You can also utilize streaming apps like Peacock, Paramount+, the new Fox One, and revamped ESPN to watch many regular-season games. It’s all up to you and how many games you want access to. Below, we’ve rounded up the best streaming deals for each streaming service required to watch football games this season.

In-market vs. out-of-market games

Before you pull the trigger on any paid TV provider or streaming service, you need to decide whether you want access to local in-market games or out-of-market games. This is where watching sports gets really confusing and frustrating.

If you’re a fan of your local sports team and strictly want to watch their season unfold, a digital antenna or live TV streaming service will get the job done. You will generally only get access to in-market games, which include the teams geographically closest to you.

If your favorite teams are not geographically close to you, they will likely be blacked out unless they are national broadcasts. In this case, the only legal way you can watch out-of-market games is via NFL Sunday Ticket. A costly streaming service, NFL Sunday Ticket exclusively streams out-of-market, regular-season, Sunday football games. There are two ways to subscribe: as an add-on to a YouTube TV base plan or as an individual primetime channel on YouTube. It costs $378 as a YouTube TV add-on and $480 as a standalone service, although there are typically deals around the start of the season (more on that below).

So if you’re a Baltimore Ravens fan living in Nashville, you can watch all of the Sunday Ravens games that aren’t shown on NBC, CBS, or FOX in your area with NFL Sunday Ticket. If you’re a Ravens fan living in or near Baltimore, however, you’ll want to grab a digital antenna or sign up for a streaming service like Paramount+ or YouTube TV.

The best Prime Video deals for Thursday Night Football

In addition to Thursday Night Football games, Prime Video is also set to stream an exclusive Black Friday game and a playoff game again this season during Wildcard weekend. Prime members get access to Prime Video included in their subscription, which costs $14.99 per month. If you’re new to Prime, you can even score a free 30-day trial before you’ll owe a monthly fee. Here are a few other ways you can save some money.

Best for long-term viewing: Prime Annual (save 22%)

Enjoy the perks of a Prime membership, including access to Prime Video, for an entire year with a Prime Annual subscription. Rather than paying a $14.99 monthly fee, you’ll pay $139 up front. That ends up saving you about 22%, knocking the price down to about $11.59 per month.

Most affordable: Prime Video only (save $6 per month)

If you don’t want all the extra perks of being a Prime member, you can simply subscribe to Prime Video as a standalone service for just $8.99 per month. That’s $6 per month cheaper than a full Prime membership. Naturally, Amazon makes it unnecessarily complicated to sign up for Prime Video alone. When you go to sign up for a subscription, you’ll have to select the option to “see more plans” or “change plans” and navigate to the option for Prime Video on its own. Like a Prime membership, you can still cancel whenever you please with no strings.

Best for those under 24: Prime for Young Adults (save 50%)

Amazon’s Prime Student subscription has now evolved into Prime for Young Adults. Those between the ages of 18 and 24, as well as college students of any age, can now score a free six-month trial to Prime. After the trial period is up, it’ll cost just $7.49 per month — that’s 50% in savings. You’ll have to verify your age or student status, but after that, the world of Prime is your oyster.

The best live TV streaming deals for NFL Sunday games

Sunday afternoon games are broadcast on either CBS (for AFC teams) or FOX (for NFC teams). CBS is accessible without cable through Paramount+, while FOX is now accessible through a new streaming service called Fox One (see bundle deal under Monday Night Football). Meanwhile, live TV streaming services like Fubo, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV will give you access to both CBS and FOX, although they are much more expensive. Whichever route you choose, we’ve found a few different deals currently live for the start of the NFL season. Here are our top picks.

Best for AFC games only: Paramount+ Essential annual subscription (save 17%)

Paramount+ is one of the most affordable streaming services at just $7.99 per month with ads. However, you can score it for even cheaper by opting for an annual subscription for $59.99. Slash 17% off when you pay for a year upfront. That knocks the monthly cost down to just $5 per month. Just note that Paramount+ only gives you access to in-network AFC games via CBS.

Best for students who want to watch AFC games: Paramount+ for students

Students who want to watch in-network AFC games can score a Paramount+ Essential subscription for only $3.99 per month for 12 months. That’s 50% cheaper than a typical Paramount+ subscription. You’ll just have to verify your student status to unlock the deal.

Best for NFC games only: Fox One annual subscription

Fox has finally launched its own streaming service, filling the gap for NFC games. With Fox One, you’ll be able to catch in-market Sunday afternoon games, as well as plenty more of Fox’s programming. It’ll cost you $19.99 per month, but if you subscribe for the whole year, it’s just $199. That’s 17% in savings.

Best live TV streaming service deal: YouTube TV (save $99 on your first three months)

YouTube TV is one of our favorite live TV streaming options. It will give you access to all the networks you need to watch Sunday afternoon games in your network, as well as Sunday night and Monday night games — NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, NFL Network, and ESPN. Through Aug. 31, YouTube TV is offering new users a discount on their first three months of service. Plus, you can kick things off with a free 10-day trial. It usually costs $82.99 per month for the base plan, but you’ll pay just $49.99 per month (save $99) for your first three months, making it the most affordable and most well-rounded option for a live TV streaming service.

Best a la carte option: Sling Season Pass (save $50.95)

If you prepay for five months of Sling Orange, Blue, and Sports Extras, you can save $50.95 with Sling Season Pass. The Blue package gets you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, and NFL Network in local markets, while the Orange package gets you access to ESPN. With the Sports Extras add-on, you’ll also get access to NFL RedZone, where you can see every touchdown that happens on Sunday afternoons. It’ll cost you $329 for five months of Sling Season Pass, which is significantly cheaper than any other live TV streaming service. Just be sure to check your local market to ensure you’ll have access to the channels you need.

Best bang for your buck: Get Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+ all for $82.99 per month

While other live TV streaming services might be a little cheaper, Hulu + Live TV comes with the most bang for your buck. You’ll pay $82.99 per month and get access to the live TV channels you need to watch NFL games, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). For comparison, YouTube TV is also $82.99 per month and includes a similar live TV channel lineup, but no extras. Fubo is $84.99 per month and features a slightly wider channel lineup, but still no extras. Unfortunately, there’s no introductory offer, but you will get your first three days for free.

Another live TV streaming deal: Take $30 off your first month of Fubo

Fubo isn’t our first pick for a live TV streaming service, simply because it’s too expensive. However, the streamer is currently offering new subscribers their first month at $30 off. That knocks the Pro plan down to $54.99 for your first month ($84.99 per month thereafter) and the Elite plan with Sports Plus down to $74.99 for your first month ($104.99 per month thereafter).

The best Peacock deals for streaming Sunday Night Football

If you don’t have access to local networks via a live TV streaming service or a digital antenna, you can still tune into Sunday Night Football on NBC by signing up for Peacock. The streamer will also host a Week 17 Peacock exclusive game, as well as the Super Bowl. After a recent price hike, subscriptions now start at $10.99 per month, but we’ve rounded up a few ways you can save.

Best for long-term viewing: Peacock Premium yearly subscription (save 17%)

If Peacock isn’t running any sort of special, the best Peacock deal for most people on any given day is the annual subscription deal. And since you’re going to need the streamer long term if you plan on watching the Big Game in February, it’s worth committing to a yearly subscription. A monthly subscription with ads costs $10.99 per month (which adds up to $131.88), but a yearly subscription will only run you $109.99 (which breaks down to about $9.17 per month). That’s about 17% in total savings. For those who prefer watching without ads, you’ll pay $169.99 per year (which breaks down to about $14.16 per month instead of $16.99).

Best for students: Peacock Premium Student Discount (save $8 per month)

Students wanting to tune into Sunday Night Football can score a Peacock Premium subscription for only $2.99 per month for an entire year. That’s $8 cheaper than a typical Peacock subscription. You’ll just have to be able to prove your student status through SheerID.

Best for first responders, teachers, military: Peacock Premium for $3.99 per month

With annual first responder and military verification through SheerID, you can get Peacock Premium for just $3.99 per month. Upon verification, you’ll receive a unique promo code to use when subscribing to Peacock. That will knock $7 per month off your total cost for the streaming service. Teachers can also score Peacock Premium for $3.99 per month, although their promotional period is limited to one year.

Best Peacock third-party deal: Free Peacock Premium with Instacart+ (save $10.99 per month)

If you subscribe to Instacart+ for free grocery delivery, which costs either $99 per year or $9.99 per month, you’ll get a free Peacock Premium subscription included. Just log in to your Instacart account, select your Instacart+ membership, then “unlock special offers” and activate the Peacock offer. You’ll get redirected to Peacock’s website, where you can sign in or create an account to activate the benefit.

The best ESPN deals for Monday Night Football

Last season, in order to watch Monday Night Football games on ESPN and ABC, you needed a live TV streaming service that included the channels in its lineup. This season, things have evolved. ESPN launched its own direct-to-consumer streaming service on Aug. 21, which means you can stream games on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+ live without cable on the ESPN Unlimited plan. ESPN also recently acquired the rights to NFL Network and RedZone, so these channels are expected to stream on the new ESPN app as well. It costs $29.99 per month, but there are a few options that allow you to save some money.

Best for long-term viewing: ESPN Unlimited annual subscription (save 17%)

If you’re all in on ESPN’s new streaming service, you can save about 17% by subscribing for a full year instead of paying monthly. It’ll cost you $299.99 in total, which breaks down to about $24.99 each month. That means you’ll save $5 every month.

Best introductory deal: ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu (save $19.98/month)

As an introduction to its new streaming service, ESPN is offering its Unlimited plan bundled with Disney+ and Hulu (both with ads) for just $29.99 per month for your first year. That essentially gets you Hulu and Disney+ for free.

Best bundle deal: ESPN Unlimited + Fox One

You can watch live Monday Night Football games on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+, plus live Sunday afternoon games on Fox with the new ESPN Unlimited and Fox One bundle. Usually $29.99 per month apiece, you can sign up for both for just $39.99 and save $10 each month. This is a great value, particularly if you’re a fan of an NFC team. Unfortunately, the bundle deal isn’t set to launch until Oct. 2, so you’ll have to subscribe to both separately in the meantime.

What’s the cheapest way to watch the most NFL games this season?

Good question. If you want to watch mainly in-market games and nationally broadcast games, the cheapest way to do so would be to sign up for the new ESPN Unlimited and Fox One bundle, Peacock, Paramount+, and Prime Video for a grand total of $67.96 per month. This will give you access to FOX (via Fox One), ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+ (via ESPN Unlimited), NBC (via Peacock), CBS (via Paramount+), and Prime Video. You could also add Netflix into the mix in December if you want access to those two games for $6.99 (per month). If you add Netflix to the total, December would run you a little more at $74.95.

Here’s the breakdown:

• $39.99 per month for ESPN Unlimited and Fox One — NFC games on Sunday afternoons and Monday Night Football games on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+

• $10.99 per month for Peacock — Sunday Night Football games on NBC, plus Peacock-exclusive game

• $7.99 per month for Paramount+  — AFC games on Sunday afternoons

• $8.99 per month for Prime Video — Thursday Night Football

• $6.99 per month for Netflix — two exclusive games in December

For out-of-market games, things get a bit more expensive. NFL Sunday Ticket is one of the only ways you can watch out-of-market games throughout the season. If you run and sign up before the Aug. 31 cutoff, new subscribers can score NFL Sunday Ticket for $34.50 per month, or $276 total for the regular season. It’s typically $60 per month or $480 total, so we highly recommend signing up sooner rather than later. Check out our guide to out-of-market games for more information.

Another option for out-of-market games would be to sign up for a VPN and attempt to use a different location with any of the live TV streaming services above. For more information about VPNs and how to watch the NFL 2025–2026 season from other countries (or pretending to), check out this article on bypassing geo-restrictions.