Running back Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints rushes for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.
Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
Sunday’s Week 4 of the NFL season brings the first of the bye weeks but it also promises plenty of action. After the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the week Thursday night, Sunday brings a host of games and storylines. Will Daniel Jones lead the New York Giants to a second win against Washington? Can the Chicago Bears keep their win streak going against the rival Minnesota Vikings? Who will win NBC’s Sunday night battle between Ezekiel Elliot’s 3-0 Cowboys and Alvin Kamara’s resilient Saints?
Throw in other divisional action across the league and it should make for a busy slate on CBS, Fox and NBC (note that CBS is the parent company of CNET). Here’s how cord cutters can watch all the action without cable — as well as the rest of the NFL games this season on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.
Update: Due to a carriage dispute, Sling TV Blue subscribers in 17 major markets across the country no longer have access to Fox, but Sling users who can stream NBC will still be able to watch tonight’s Cowboys/Saints game on that network.
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Live TV streaming services for cord cutters: How to choose…
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How can I watch my local team’s NFL games in general?
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.
Games are typically broadcast on CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoons, NBC on Sunday nights, ESPN on Monday nights and the NFL Network on Thursday nights (note that CBS is the parent company of CNET). 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.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Which live TV streaming services are best for NFL fans?
The short answer? PlayStation Vue is our No. 1 overall pick for streaming live NFL football.
Read more: Best ways to watch football live without cable
The longer answer: Many live TV streaming services — including Vue as well as AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV — carry one or more local networks (namely CBS, Fox and NBC), 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.
As we mentioned above, as of September 26 Sling no longer carries Fox local stations. When the carriage dispute is resolved we expect Fox to return to Sling, but in the meantime here’s the deal. 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.
Sling Blue includes Thursday and Sunday games on NBC (and Fox, normally) 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.
Hulu with Live TV costs $45 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but not NFL Network or RedZone.
AT&T TV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC and 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.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN, but not NFL Network or RedZone.
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.
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 live on your phone with NFL Mobile and Yahoo app
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 a 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 app.
Originally published last month. Updated regularly with the latest game details.