How to Watch NFL Games Live the Entire 2024-25 Season Online Without Cable

I can’t wait for the 2024-25 NFL season to begin.

In a hurry? Check out these three popular streaming services with which you can watch most NFL games live during the 2024-25 season:

Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
Hulu + Live TV: This total entertainment streaming service provides a great on-demand selection and all the essential live TV channels with a 3-day free trial.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $6.67/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

Table Of Contents

1 Thursday’s NFL Games
2 How to Stream NFL Games
3 All the Channels You Need to Stream NFL Games
4 Week 12 NFL
5 Our Choice
6 FAQs

QB Patrick Mahomes (#15) calling a play during a game against the Washington Football Team at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on October 17, 2021, with #31 Damien Williams, #65 Trey Smith, and #52 Creed Humphrey by All-Pro Reels under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Thursday’s NFL Games

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Thu Nov 21	8:15 pm	Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns	Prime Video

How to Stream NFL Games

The televising of NFL games is organized, consistent, and predictable (unlike most other popular pro sports). But that doesn’t keep it from being complicated and difficult to follow.

Every streaming service (except NFL+, which is limited to mobile devices) supports the following devices:

Amazon Fire TV
Android Mobile
Android TV smart TVs
Apple TV
Chromecast

iOS (iPhone)
Roku
Samsung smart TVs
Web Browsers

Other smart TVs like those from LG and Vizio as well as gaming systems Xbox and PlayStation are widely supported.

This chart will give you an overview of which streaming services carry which games, divided by when the games air.

	Thu Night	Sun Morning†	Sun AFC	Sun NFC	Sun Night	Mon Night
DIRECTV STREAM	❌	💲	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Fubo	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Hulu Live	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Sling TV	❌	✔️	❌	✔️§	✔️§	✔️
YouTube TV	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Prime Video	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
NFL+ ‡	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Paramount+	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Peacock	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌
ESPN+	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️
Antenna	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️

† There are 6 Sunday morning (international) games with at least 4 on NFL Network. ‡ Mobile devices only. § Select markets

Live TV Streaming Services for NFL Games

The first 5 providers on the list above are live TV streaming services. Although things are changing slowly, the vast majority of NFL games are broadcast on live TV channels. So one of these services will likely be the foundation of your viewing.

All of these services offer all of the live TV channels that air NFL games with the exception of Sling TV. It does not offer CBS at all and only offers ABC, FOX, and NBC in select markets. But depending on your location and favorite team, it can be an outstanding deal.

No one service has all the games. Even if it carries all the channels, Thursday Night Football games require Amazon Prime Video or NFL+. And not all Sunday afternoon games are shown in all areas but there are options for getting around this.

On-Demand Streaming for NFL Games

The distinction between live and on-demand streaming is getting less clear every day as on-demand platforms offer more live sports. The most important of these is Amazon Prime Video, which is now the home of Thursday Night Football.

If you want to watch CBS, NBC, ESPN+ game replays, you should sign-up for NFL+ Premium (see below).

NFL+ for Live Mobile Streaming

NFL+ allows you to livestream all in-market and primetime NFL games — for $6.99/month. It also includes NFL Network. The catch is that you are limited to streaming on your phone or tablet.

Try NFL+ Now!

The subscription also includes access to all live out-of-market preseason games, live game audio, and NFL library programming.

If you upgrade to NFL+ Premium for $14.99/month, you can watch all games after they end. You get complete full and condensed game replays of all games on all devices, in commercial-free HD 720p.

See our NFL+ review for all the details.

Streaming Out-of-Market NFL Games

Most NFL fans are focused on their local team(s). But fans far from their favorite teams (out-of-market) face special difficulties watching games. But cord-cutters now have two good options.

First, you can get NFL Sunday Ticket, the league’s out-of-market streaming service available through YouTube and YouTube TV. But it is fairly expensive. You may be better off using a VPN to watch out-of-market games.

Non-Streaming Options for Watching NFL Games

We’re big on streaming, but even we recognize there are some occasions when streaming providers are not the best options. Here are two alternatives.

Watch for Free with a Digital Antenna: If you live in a location within range of the necessary towers, you can get Fox, CBS, ABC, and NBC for free over-the-air. In HD! (Trust us, it’s a lot of football.) Sling TV’s even giving them away! Use the FCC’s DTV tool to see what channels you’re missing out on. Read more on antennas.
We hate to admit it, but sometimes, even for all their faults, your old, expensive (but reliable) satellite or cable provider is your best choice. With increasing competition from the streaming services, many have lowered their rates, or are offering pretty sweet deals. If you have to go this route, we recommend DIRECTV Satellite.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (2013) by Philip Robertson under CC BY 2.0.

All the Channels You Need to Stream NFL Games

The simplest bet for NFL fans is to watch games with a live TV streaming service. What’s the best service for streaming NFL games live? Here’s an overview of which live TV streaming services offer the key channels:

The vast majority of NFL regular season games take place on Sunday afternoons and are broadcast on FOX and CBS. But this has been changing slowly since Monday Night Football debuted in 1970s. And it gets more diverse all the time — especially with streaming-only games.

Looking for NFL playoff games? See our complete guide for everything you need to know!

Sunday Afternoon Football Games

Each Sunday afternoon, you will have your choice of 4 games to watch — two each on your CBS and FOX local affiliates. Of course, since they air in two timeslots, you will only be able to watch two of the games live.

The games that are aired in your local media market will be those deemed of most interest to fans there. As a result, you will always see your local team(s) play.

Local NFL Team Channels

Here are all the local CBS and Fox affiliates that broadcast Sunday afternoon games in the team’s local market and which streaming services offer it.

Team	CBS	FOX	Fubo	DIRECTV	Sling	Hulu
Arizona Cardinals	KPHO	KSAZ	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Atlanta Falcons	WANF	WAGA	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Baltimore Ravens	WJZ-TV	WBFF	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Buffalo Bills	WIVB-TV	WUTV	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Carolina Panthers	WBTV	WJZY	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Chicago Bears	WBBM	WFLD	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Cincinnati Bengals	WKRC	WXIX	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Cleveland Browns	WOIO	WJW	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Dallas Cowboys	KTVT	KDFW	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Denver Broncos	KCNC	KDVR	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Detroit Lions	WWJ	WJBK	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Green Bay Packers	WDJT	WITI	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Houston Texans	KHOU	KRIV	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Indianapolis Colts	WTTV	WXIN	✅✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Jacksonville Jaguars	WJAX	WFOX	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Kansas City Chiefs	KCTV	WDAF	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Las Vegas Raiders	KLAS	KVVU	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Los Angeles Chargers	KCBS	KTTV	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Los Angeles Rams	KCBS	KTTV	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Miami Dolphins	WFOR	WSVN	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Minnesota Vikings	WCCO	KMSP	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
New England Patriots	WBZ	WFXT	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
New Orleans Saints	WWL	WVUE	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
New York Giants	WCBS	WNTW	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
New York Jets	WCBS	WNYW	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Philadelphia Eagles	KTW	WTXF	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Pittsburgh Steelers	KDKA	WPGH	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
San Francisco 49ers	KPIX	KTVU	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Seattle Seahawks	KIRO	KCPQ	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	WTSP	WTVT	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅
Tennessee Titans	WTVF	WZTV	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/❌	✅/✅
Washington Commanders	WUSA	WTTG	✅/✅	✅/✅	❌/✅	✅/✅

Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers by Mike Morbeck under CC BY-SA 2.0.

NFL Night Games

The NFL features three night games each week:

Thursday Night Football: Streamed on Amazon Prime Video at 8:15 pm. One of these games is actually on the Friday after Thanksgiving. If your local team is playing on Thursday Night Football, one of your local channels will also air the game.
Sunday Night Football: Broadcast at 8:20 pm on NBC. It also streams live on Peacock Premium.
Monday Night Football: Airs one or two games by ESPN Sports. This means that it’s usually on ESPN and ABC but one game is even streaming-only on ESPN+. Ten Manningcast games will be featured on ESPN2.

ESPN has reached a nine-year media-rights extension with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, extending the existing partnership into 2034. The deal will see the continuation of the Emmy award-winning Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, and additional Omaha content such as… pic.twitter.com/iCs9GOQ9uY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2024

Special Presentation NFL Games

Most of the games fall into the categories above, but there are a few special circumstances throughout the season.

International Games on NFL Network and Peacock

The NFL is expanding its series of international games this year. There will be six games but the last is during Week 18 and has not been announced.

Date	Time	City	Teams	Channel
Fri Sep 6	8:15 pm	São Paulo	Green Bay at Philadelphia	Peacock
Sun Oct 6	9:30 am	London	New York Jets vs Minnesota	NFLN
Sun Oct 13	9:30 am	London	Jacksonville vs Chicago	NFLN
Sun Oct 20	9:30 am	London	New England at Jacksonville	NFLN
Sun Nov 10	9:30 am	Munich	New York Giants vs Carolina	NFLN
TBD	TBD	Madrid	TBD	TBD

The first game will be at Arena Corinthians. The three London games will be at (first, second) Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and (third) Wembley Stadium. The Munich game will be held at Allianz Arena. And the final game will be at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of soccer powerhouse Real Madrid CF.

Saturday NFL Games

The NFL schedules Saturday games once the NCAA Bowl Games start. But there is a catch: many aren’t scheduled until late in the season. Here are the games we have information on

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Sat Dec 21	1:00 pm	Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs	NBC
Sat Dec 21	4:30 pm	Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens	FOX

Holiday NFL Games

The NFL is planning some extra festive multi-headers for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day this year.

Thanksgiving Day NFL Games (Thursday, November 28, Week 13)

As usual, CBS, FOX, and NBC share broadcasting of the Thanksgiving Day games:

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Thu Nov 28	12:30 pm	Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions	CBS
Thu Nov 28	4:30 pm	New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys	FOX
Thu Nov 28	8:20 pm	Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers	NBC

Christmas Day NFL Games (Monday, December 25, Week 17)

Both these games will be streaming-only on Netflix:

Date	Time (ET)	Teams
Wed Dec 25	1:00 pm	Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers
Wed Dec 25	4:30 pm	Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans

BJ Sams running the football during the November 5, 2006 Baltimore Ravens/Cincinnati Bengals game by KA Sports Photos under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Week 12 NFL

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Thu Nov 21	8:15 pm	Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns	Prime Video
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers	CBS
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears	FOX
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans	CBS
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts	FOX
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins	CBS
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants	CBS
Sun Nov 24	1:00 pm	Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders	FOX
Sun Nov 24	4:05 pm	Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders	CBS
Sun Nov 24	4:25 pm	San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers	FOX
Sun Nov 24	4:25 pm	Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks	FOX
Sun Nov 24	8:20 pm	Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams	NBC
Mon Nov 25	8:15 pm	Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers	ESPN
Thu Nov 28	12:30 pm	Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions	CBS
Thu Nov 28	4:30 pm	New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys	FOX

2024-25 NFL Standings

AFC East

AFC West

AFC North

AFC South

NFC East

NFC West

NFC North

NFC South

Our Choice

Fubo is our top pick for NFL fans because it provides all the NFL channels along with a large selection of other channels for sports and beyond. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

Mitch Trubisky, backup quarterback with the Buffalo Bills hands the ball off to his running back during a game against the Washington Football Team at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York on September 26, 2021. by All-Pro Reels under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQs

How do I watch NFL games live for free?

If you have searched for free NFL games to watch, you undoubtedly have come across a lot of services that are scams. The only legal ways to watch NFL for free are:

Use a free trial of one of a paid streaming service
Get an antenna for local channels.

We recommend staying away from illegal sites. They are potentially dangerous and generally unreliable. Much better to install an HD antenna or subscribe to a low-cost service like NFL+.

Can I livestream NFL on Amazon Prime?

Yes, you can. Amazon Prime subscribers can watch most Thursday Night Football matches starting with the 2022 season, directly from the Prime Video app. Amazon Prime costs $8.99/month and includes free 2-day shipping on Amazon, free video streaming, and more.

Can I watch NFL games on Netflix?

Netflix is an on-demand service, and at one time that meant that it didn’t offer any live programming. But that has changed. And this year, Netflix will stream two Christmas Day games live:

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Wed Dec 25	1:00 pm	Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers	Netflix
Wed Dec 25	4:30 pm	Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans	Netflix

How can I watch Thursday Night Football online?

It has been a while now since NFL fans were fully covered with cable or satellite. Most Thursday Night Football games are available to stream only. You can watch these with Amazon Prime Video. You can also watch these games live with a subscription to NFL+, but you can only watch live on mobile devices.

Can I live stream NFL games on ESPN+?

Last year, you could livestream a dozen games on ESPN+. Thus far this season, only one game has been scheduled (but we expect some to be added):

Date	Time (ET)	Teams	TV
Mon Oct 21	9:00 pm	Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals	ESPN+

How do I watch NFL playoffs online?

Once the playoffs are underway, there are plenty of ways to watch online. Options are pretty similar to the regular season, with games airing on ESPN, Fox, NBC, and CBS. So services like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will work well for you. You can learn more in our NFL playoffs guide.

How do I watch NFL games from outside the United States?

Fans outside the US need the NFL Game Pass. You’ll get access to all the games. Your US-based football friends will be super jealous. Game Pass is available in most countries outside the United States (where you’re supposed to use NFL+) or China. If you’re in Canada, NFL Game Pass is included with your subscription to a popular sports streaming service. See our NFL Game Pass review for more information on international NFL viewing.

How do I watch NFL games in Spanish?

Prime Video features an alternate Spanish-language stream of Thursday Night Football with its own on-air announcers. How you select it will depend on the device you are using. It is selected under the Audio section. You can find this on most devices by pressing Up on your remote control.

Can I watch NFL games using a VPN?

Yes, you can use a VPN to watch games with the streaming services reviewed above. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a type of connection software that provides an extra layer of security and privacy. More relevantly, for the purposes of watching NFL games, it can change where the internet thinks you are located in the world. We recommend ExpressVPN.

See our VPN NFL game viewing guide for all the details.

How do Fox and CBS divvy up the Sunday afternoon games?

Up until recently, CBS had the rights to AFC games, and Fox had the rights to NFC games. If it was an inter-conference game, the away team usually determined the broadcaster. According to NFL Operations, this year this is no longer necessarily the case. However, if you examine the schedule, most games tend to follow this guideline.

Do I need NFL Sunday Ticket?

Most NFL fans do not need Sunday Ticket. The NFL has actually done quite a good job distributing games to fans. And most of it is done for free. NFL Sunday Ticket has a certain reputation as the thing serious fans fork over hundreds of dollars for but it’s really just certain kinds of fans who should do so — fans who are focused on one or more non-local teams.

Check out our guide to out-of-market NFL watching, which also has links to guides on how to watch specific teams, and our NFL Sunday Ticket review for further discussion.

How do I listen to live NFL games?

For those Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays that you just cannot be in front of a screen, you have NFL on TuneIn. Listen to every score as it happens, in real-time. TuneIn offers the best audio game-day experience for cord-cutting NFL fans, all for free. You can also listen on the radio (either your local station if it’s a local team, or SiriusXM NFL Radio if it’s not) and via NFL+.

Page Updates ▼▲

Aug 14, 2024

Update further for 2024-25 season and simplified information.
Jul 20, 2024

Updated for the 2024 season with massive changes to channels and streaming.
Sep 28, 2023

Restructured, fact-checked, and revised.
Sep 6, 2023

Added local channel table.
Jul 20, 2023

Updated for 2023-24 season.
Mar 24, 2023

Added links to streaming services. Put related links. Pricing updates. Various changes to content. Deleted unneeded sub-section.
Dec 31, 2022

Cross linking. Mentioned offers. Changed a few bits of content.
Dec 5, 2022

Cross linking. Changed a few bits of content. Formatting.
Nov 9, 2022

Image changes. Added some links. Small layout changes.
Oct 24, 2022

Added sub-section. Updated some sub-sections. Additional links. Mentioned offers.
Oct 2, 2022

Added links to streaming services. Added info about guide. Added sub-section. Updated some sub-sections. Linking. Pricing updates.
Sep 10, 2022

Added table of contents. Added buttons for streaming services. Added new section. Updated some sub-sections. Changed some content in main section. Pricing updates. Removed section.
Aug 3, 2022

Added new section. Added links to streaming services. Added sub-section. Updated some sub-sections. Pricing updates. Image changes. Cleaned up list.
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Added sub-section. Image changes. Added a few links. Pricing updates.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.