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

It’s that time again. A new NFL season is upon us and with it comes all sorts of new streaming struggles. Notorious gatekeepers of their broadcasts, watching NFL games has become a tangled web of subscriptions — even for those who still have cable. But we’ve sorted out all the complicated details for you. If you’re wanting to watch your favorite teams battle it out this season 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 2024–2025 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 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 2024–2025 season.

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

• Sunday afternoon games air on CBS for AFC teams and FOX for NFC teams

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

• Monday Night Football games air on ESPN and ABC/ESPN+

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

• Netflix is set to broadcast two games on Christmas Day this season

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 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, and ESPN 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. You can also utilize streaming apps like Peacock and Paramount+ 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.

The best football streaming deals for the 2024–2025 NFL season

The best Prime Video deals for Thursday Night Football

In addition to Thursday Night Football games, Prime Video is also set to stream a playoff game this season during Wildcard weekend. Prime members get access to Prime Video included in their subscription, which runs you $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). While CBS is accessible without cable through Paramount+, FOX is only accessible through a live TV streaming service like Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling, or Hulu + Live TV. Live TV streaming services are notoriously expensive, but 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 up front. 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 $5.99 per month. That’s 25% cheaper than a typical Paramount+ subscription. You’ll just have to verify your student status to unlock the deal.

Best live TV streaming service deal: Sling Season Pass (save $92)

If you prepay for four months of Sling Orange, Blue, and Sports Extras, you can save $92 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 $199 for four 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 YouTube TV deal: $64.99/month for your first four months (save $32)

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. For a limited time, YouTube TV is offering new users a discount on their first four months of service. Plus, you can kick things off with a free trial. It usually costs $72.99 per month for the base plan, but you’ll pay just $64.99 per month (save $32) for your first four months.

Best bang for your buck: Get Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+ all for $76.99 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 $76.99 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 $72.99 per month and includes a similar live TV channel lineup, but no extras. Fubo is $79.99 per month and features a slightly wider channel lineup, but still no extras.

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 $49.99 for your first month ($79.99 per month thereafter) and the Elite plan with Sports Plus down to $69.99 for your first month ($99.99 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. Week One’s game in São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, Sept. 6 will also be streamed on Peacock. Subscriptions start at just $7.99 per month, but we’ve rounded up a few ways you can save.

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

Peacock is already pretty affordable at $7.99 per month, but even that can add up quickly on top of every other streaming service. You can knock that price down to just $6.67 per month by paying for an entire year up front. A yearly Peacock Premium subscription is just $79.99 per year, which ends up saving you about 17% overall.

Best for students: Peacock Premium Student Discount (save $6 per month)

Students wanting to tune into Sunday Night Football can score a Peacock Premium subscription for only $1.99 per month for an entire year. That’s $6 cheaper than a typical Peacock subscription. You’ll just have to be able to prove your student status through SheerID.

Best for first responders: Peacock Premium for $1.99 per month

With annual first responder verification through SheerID, first responders (public or private) can get Peacock Premium for just $1.99 per month. Upon verification, you’ll receive a unique promo code to use when subscribing to Peacock. That will knock $6 per month off your total cost for the streaming service.

Best Peacock third-party deal: Free Peacock Premium with Instacart+ (save $7.99 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

In order to watch Monday Night Football games on ESPN, you’ll need a live TV streaming service that includes ESPN (see deals above). In order to watch Monday Night Football games on ABC, however, you can use ESPN+. The Week Seven match-up between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals will also be available exclusively on ESPN+. ESPN+ does not give you access to games broadcast on ESPN. It’s all very confusing, I know. ESPN+ regularly costs $10.99 per month, but here are a couple of ways you can save money on your subscription.

Best for long-term viewing: ESPN+ Annual Plan (save 15%)

Opt into ESPN+ for an entire year and it’ll only cost $109.99 instead of $10.99 per month, which adds up to $131.88. That saves you 15% overall and gives you access to plenty more than just Monday Night Football if you’re a sports fan.

Best bundle deal: ESPN+ with Disney+ and Hulu (save 44%)

If you want more bang for your buck than ESPN+ on its own, you can bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu for just $14.99 per month. That’s just $4 more per month than getting ESPN+ on its own. Sure, that’s a lot to pay for select Monday Night Football games, but it will get you more for your money than most other streaming deals.

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

Good question. If you want to watch in-market games and nationally broadcast games mainly, the cheapest way to do so would be to sign up for Sling Orange + Blue (granted your market includes all local networks), Paramount+, and Prime Video for a grand total of $71.98 per month. If your market is included in the Sling packages, this will give you access to FOX, ESPN, NBC, ABC, 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 $78.97.

Here’s the breakdown:

• $55 per month for Sling Orange + Blue — Sunday afternoon games on Fox, ESPN, NBC, ABC (check that your market is included)

• $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 games in December

For out-of-market games, things get a bit more complicated. And expensive. NFL Sunday Ticket is one of the only ways you can watch every out-of-market game, but it’s outrageously expensive ($429 per year) and we cannot in good faith recommend it. Another option 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 2024–2025 season from other countries (or pretending to), check out this article on bypassing geo-restrictions.