I’ve found that streaming has become the only way to watch every NFL game since the 2021 season. As America’s most popular sport, I know it’s important to understand how to access all the action.
In a hurry? Most games will air on the networks, so you could just set up an antenna. Or sign up with one of these streaming services:
- 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.
Table Of Contents
In each conference, 7 teams are selected to go to the playoffs. These are the winners of the 4 divisions and then the 3 other teams with the best record.
The top-seeded team in each conference gets a bye and doesn’t play the first week known as Wild Card Round. The other 6 teams play in 3 games with the weakest team playing the best team at home. And so on. It looks like this:
- 7 Seed at 2 Seed
- 6 Seed at 3 Seed
- 5 Seed at 4 Seed
The three winners of this round plus the 1 Seed team then meet in the Divisional Round.
- Lowest Seed at 1 Seed
- Second Lowest Seed at Third Lowest Seed
The next weekend is the Conference Round, which determines the winner of each conference. And then there is the Super Bowl, two weeks later.
Which Channels Carry the NFL Playoffs?
Playoff games featuring AFC teams are generally broadcast on CBS.
Playoff games featuring NFC games tend to be broadcast on Fox.
There are exceptions, like the Jan 10th, 2021 wildcard game between NFC teams the Saints and Bears which was broadcast on CBS.
Since the 2014-2015 season, ESPN/ABC has broadcast one playoff game each season – until the 2020-21 season, this was always the first game of the season. This year, ESPN is slotted to air the last wildcard game.
NBC Sports broadcasts two games in primetime during the wild card round and one during the divisional round. These are usually the games expected to bring in the highest ratings, regardless of which conference the teams play in.
Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on CBS and Univision (Spanish), scheduled for Feb 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. It will also be streaming on Paramount+.
Best Streaming Services to Watch the NFL Playoffs
The NFL is too popular for there not to be good options for streaming live games. That’s true of the regular season and even more true of the playoffs.
Get the NFL Postseason on Fubo
The Fubo (formerly FuboTV) Pro package is $79.99/month and comes with NBC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN — everything you need to watch every game.
But there’s a lot more — over 130 live TV channels with a special focus on sports with CBS Sports Network, FS1, FS2, ESPN2, Galavision, Golf Channel, NFL Network, and a whole collection of channels from beIN Sports and TUDN.
All Fubo plans come with a minimum of 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage and the ability to watch on up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Find out more in our Fubo review.
Watch NFL Playoff Games on DIRECTV STREAM
The DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) Entertainment package comes with local feeds of national channels such as NBC, CBS, and Fox as well as standard “cable” channels like ESPN. In all, you get roughly 80 channels for $86.99/month. There are three other plans if you want more including your local regional sports networks (RSNs).
DIRECTV STREAM comes with unlimited cloud DVR (as long as you sign up online) and the ability to stream on unlimited devices at once.
Our DIRECTV STREAM review has more details.
How to See the NFL Playoffs With Hulu + Live TV
For $82.99/month, you can get Hulu + Live TV. This service adds 85 live TV channels to the base Hulu on-demand plan with ESPN+ and Disney+. It includes all the playoff channels (CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN) plus NFL Network.
Hulu + Live TV comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 months of storage) and the ability to stream on up to two devices at once.
See our Hulu + Live TV review for more details.
Sling TV Plans That Carry the NFL Playoffs
Sling TV is the most customizable of the streaming services but this does mean that it can be confusing to get the exact package you want.
Its Blue plan ($40.00/month) includes NBC and Fox. Its Orange plan ($40.00/month) comes with ESPN. You can get them both for $55.00/month.
You can’t get CBS directly through Sling TV. But if you pay for two months’ service upfront, they will give you a free indoor HD antenna, which will allow you to watch your local CBS affiliate.
The base Sling TV plans come with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. The Blue plan comes with the ability to stream on up to three devices at once. But the Orange plan channels (eg, ESPN) can only be streamed on one device at a time.
See our Sling TV review for more, as well as our guide to watching the Super Bowl on Sling.
Other Streaming Services That Air NFL Postseason Games
There are other options for watching some of the live games of the NFL playoffs:
- Paramount+: Offers a cheap ($7.99/month) way to watch all the games that air on CBS. It will also stream the Super Bowl this year and is a particularly good addition for people who are using Sling TV as their primary streaming service.
- Peacock: Streams live coverage of any game that is broadcast on NBC. And it is only $7.99/month.
- YouTube TV: Another live TV streaming service — similar to Hulu + Live TV — for $72.99/month. It provides all the channels you’ll need to watch the NFL playoffs.
Stream the Playoffs With NFL+
NFL+ is a subscription-based service that lets you stream NFL games to your mobile device.
During the regular season, NFL+ is limited. But the playoffs are all nationally televised, so post-season games (including the Super Bowl) will all be available live on game day.
For more information, see our complete guide to NFL+.
Stream the NFL Playoffs Outside the US
The NFL is popular all over the world and, in most countries, it’s even easier to watch than in the United States.
Fans in most places can watch all the games with NFL Game Pass International. See our review for more details.
Fans in Canada can watch all the games with their own streaming service (review).
For those in China and other areas, see our NFL Playoff VPN guide.
Streaming Devices For Watching the NFL Playoffs
It’s pretty easy to find a streaming service that will allow you to watch the NFL playoffs on your TVs and other devices, as most platforms are supported.
Samsung smart TVs are supported by all the streaming services. Fubo, Hulu, and Sling all support LG and Vizio smart TVs. And all the services support Android TV-based devices.
TV devices are supported by them all: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. And so are mobile devices based on Android and iOS.
Similarly, you can use the Chromecast standard to cast from browsers and mobile devices to your TV.
Fubo, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV support the Xbox One gaming system. Hulu also supports the PlayStation.
You will find complete lists of supported devices in our individual streaming service reviews (linked above).
2024 NFL Playoff Schedule
See our NFL Games Guide for the complete schedule of the 2024 NFL playoffs and the teams as they are known. But briefly, here is a list of the upcoming games.
Wild Card Round
- Sat Jan 13 : Cleveland Browns (14) at Houston Texans (45) (NBC/Peacock)
- Sat Jan 13 : Miami Dolphins (7) at Kansas City Chiefs (26) (Peacock)
- Sun Jan 14 : Green Bay Packers (48) at Dallas Cowboys (32) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 14 : Los Angeles Rams (23) at Detroit Lions (24) (NBC/Peacock)
- Mon Jan 15 : Pittsburgh Steelers (17) at Buffalo Bills (31) (CBS/Paramount+)
- Mon Jan 15 : Philadelphia Eagles (9) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32) (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+)
Divisional Round
- Sat Jan 20 : Houston Texans (10) at Baltimore Ravens (34) (ABC/ESPN)
- Sat Jan 20 : Green Bay Packers (21) at San Francisco 49ers (24) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 21 : Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23) at Detroit Lions (31) (NBC)
- Sun Jan 21 : Kansas City Chiefs (27) at Buffalo Bills (24) (CBS)
Conference Round
- Sun Jan 28 : AFC Championship Game — Kansas City Chiefs (17) at Baltimore Ravens (10) (CBS)
- Sun Jan 28 : NFC Championship Game — Detroit Lions (31) at San Francisco 49ers (34) (Fox)
Super Bowl LVIII
- Sun Feb 11 : Super Bowl LVIII Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers (CBS)
Wrapping Up
The NFL playoffs may be the most popular sporting event in the United States. Football games usually draw millions of viewers, regardless of who’s playing, what time they’re aired, or which network they appear on.
NFL post-season contests will appear on NBC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN. They will also be simulcast on other stations and streaming platforms such as Paramount+ and Peacock Premium.
Fubo is our top pick for watching all of the NFL playoffs. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
FAQs
How can I watch the NFL playoffs for free?
Every game of the 2023 NFL playoffs airs on either ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC. Each of these is a broadcast network with local affiliates. This means that, in most areas, they can be watched for free via an over-the-air signal. All you have to do is set up a digital antenna and you will be watching the games in full high-definition.
See our antenna guide for more information.
How did Super Bowl LVII shake out?
Super Bowl games are often disappointments. But that wasn’t the case last year, as the Eagles and Chiefs proved to be well-matched.
By halftime, the Eagles were up 24-14, but the Chiefs rallied in the second half to win the game with a final score of 38-35.
The total of 73 points scored made Super Bowl LVII the third-highest-scoring Super Bowl game in history. And the Eagles’ 35 points were the most that have ever been scored by the Super Bowl losing team.
Can I watch the NFL playoffs with a VPN?
A VPN is a great tool for cord-cutters as it allows you to watch games that are blacked out or otherwise geo-restricted.
But it isn’t a streaming service itself. For complete information, see our NFL Playoff VPN Guide, which will explain all you need to know.
Super Wild Card Weekend
- Sat Jan 14 : Seattle Seahawks (23) at San Francisco 49ers (41) (Fox)
- Sat Jan 14 : Los Angeles Chargers (30) at Jacksonville Jaguars (31) (NBC)
- Sun Jan 15 : Miami Dolphins (31) at Buffalo Bills (34) (CBS)
- Sun Jan 15 : New York Giants (31) at Minnesota Vikings (24) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 15 : Baltimore Ravens (17) at Cincinnati Bengals (24) (NBC)
- Mon Jan 16 : Dallas Cowboys (31) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14) (ESPN)
NFL Divisional Round
- Sat Jan 21 : Jacksonville Jaguars (20) at Kansas City Chiefs (27) (NBC)
- Sat Jan 21 : New York Giants (7) at Philadelphia Eagles (38) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 22 : Cincinnati Bengals (27) at Buffalo Bills (10) (CBS)
- Sun Jan 22 : Dallas Cowboys (12) at San Francisco 49ers (19) (Fox)
NFL Conference Championship
- Sun Jan 29 : NFC Conference Championship — San Francisco 49ers (7) at Philadelphia Eagles (31) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 29 : AFC Conference Championship — Cincinnati Bengals (20) at Kansas City Chiefs (23) (CBS)
Super Bowl LVII
- Sun Feb 12 : Super Bowl LVII — Philadelphia Eagles (35) vs Kansas City Chiefs (38) (Fox)
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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.
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