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The NFL kicks off its 100th season with its oldest rivalry, one that dates back to 1921. No two cities have played each other more times than Chicago and Green Bay. When the Bears and Packers meet on Thursday to open the NFL season, it’ll be the 199th time the teams have met.
In this year’s edition of the rivalry, Aaron Rodgers will attempt to lead the Packers back to the playoffs after two straight losing seasons. He’ll need to avoid Khalil Mack and the rest of the Bears’ pass rush. On offense, the Bears will need to rely on youth to repeat as NFC North champs, with second-year pro Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback and rookie David Montgomery at running back.
The rest of the week 1 will be played on Sunday and conclude with a double-header on Monday Night Football.
Highlights of the early games on Sunday include current league MVP Pat Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Jacksonville to play the Jaguars and their new QB and former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Baker Mayfield and his new receiving target Odell Beckham Jr. will open the season at home as the Cleveland Browns host the Tennessee Titans.
The late-afternoon games will give us our first glimpse of Kyler Murray in Arizona as the Cardinals host the Detroit Lions. The big question for the Cowboys-Giants matchup is whether Zeke Elliott will be suited up for Dallas or still in Cabo holding out for a new contract.
On Monday night, we get treated to not one game but two. First, the Houston Texans play the New Orleans Saints followed by the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.
You can see the full slate of week 1 NFL games here.
Here’s how cord cutters can watch the games live without cable.
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Live TV streaming services for cord cutters: How to choose…
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How can I stream my local team’s NFL games?
For teams in your local market — Jets and Giants fans in New York, Cleveland fans in Ohio, and so on — you’ll be able to watch your local team’s games on a major local network channel (ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC; note that CBS is the parent company of CNET).
The Thursday night opener between the Bears and Packers will be broadcast on NBC.
Games are broadcast on CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoons, NBC on Sunday nights, ESPN on Monday nights and the NFL Network on Thursday nights. Most of the Thursday night games are simulcast on Fox, Amazon Prime and Twitch.
There is also NFL RedZone to consider, a channel that springs to life each fall and shows live coverage from around the league with the promise to show you every touchdown from every Sunday afternoon game. It’s a great way to watch out-of-market action and essential viewing for fantasy football GMs.
How can I watch the NFL without cable?
Many live TV streaming services — including AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV — carry one or more local networks, so they’re the best bet for cord cutters who don’t want to use an over-the-air antenna.
The catch is that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries the network you want in your area.
Other stuff to know about live TV streaming services:
Note CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the services featured on this page.
PlayStation Vue offers all the networks that show NFL games, and you can add the NFL RedZone channel for $10 a month extra. The $55 Core plan is the cheapest option that includes the five channels NFL fans need — CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network — and the $10-a-month Sports Pack will get you NFL RedZone. The Core plan is currently discounted to $45 a month for the first two months.
Sling TV splits its live NFL options across its $25-a-month Blue plan and $25-a-month Orange plan, which forces NFL fans into a tricky decision or encourages them to spring for both at $40 a month. Here’s the deal:
Sling Blue includes Thursday and Sunday games on Fox, NBC and the NFL Network. Sling Orange includes Monday night games on ESPN. And if you want to add the NFL RedZone, you’ll need Sling Blue. Blue — but not Orange — subscribers can add the $10-a-month Sports Extra package, which includes NFL RedZone. Sling TV does not offer CBS, which typically carries AFC games on Sunday afternoons.
Sling’s packages are discounted 40% for the first month.
FuboTV costs $55 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network but not ESPN. You’ll miss out on Monday Night Football on ESPN but will get the games on Sunday afternoons (CBS and Fox), Sunday nights (NBC) and Thursday nights (NFL Network). The $9-a-month Sports Plus package adds NFL RedZone.
AT&T TV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN but not the NFL Network or RedZone. Its basic, $50-a-month Plus package will let you watch games on CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoons, Sunday Night Football on NBC, Monday Night Football on ESPN and Thursday Night Football on Fox.
Hulu with Live TV costs $45 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but not NFL Network or RedZone.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but not NFL Network or RedZone.
CBS All Access costs $6 a month and lets you watch AFC matchups on Sunday afternoons. It makes for a good add-on for Sling TV subscribers, who don’t get CBS.
Prime Video will stream the Thursday Night Football games this season that will be simulcast on Fox. The games on Prime Video will also be streamed live on the Amazon-owned Twitch, which means you don’t need an Amazon Prime membership to stream Thursday night football.
Stream NFL games live online
In previous years, only Verizon Wireless subscribers could livestream games on their phones with the NFL Mobile app. Now, anyone can get a live NFL stream on their phone, regardless of carrier. You’ll be limited to watching on your phone and will see only local, in-market games and the national broadcasts on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights. National and local games will also be streamed on the Yahoo and Yahoo Sports apps.
Originally published Aug. 2.
Update, Sept. 1: Adds the latest game details.