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Sunday Night Football: Best & Cheapest Ways to Watch NFL on NBC Without Cable

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Sunday Night Football is one of three weekly branded primetime NFL games along with Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. It airs each week of the 2023 season on NBC so you don’t need cable to watch. Read on to find out how!

In a hurry? If you just want to enjoy the NFL season including Sunday Night Football, these TV providers will give you everything you need:

  • 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.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.

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

In a hurry? Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that offers this TV channel/sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the sports, movies, and TV you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

ExpressVPN

1. ExpressVPN: Established VPN provider in 105 countries. Smart DNS, a built-in ad-blocker, and unlimited bandwidth. Try it with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Private Internet Access

3. Private Internet Access: The only no-logs VPN with a location for every US state. Get 82% off + 2 months free.

If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

For National Football League fans, Sundays are sacred. And the day culminates with Sunday Night Football. Unlike the other games airing that day in their own markets, Sunday Night Football puts two teams on the national stage. So fans naturally want access.

Thanks to live streaming services like Fubo (free trial) and DIRECTV STREAM, it’s easy to watch Sunday Night Football without cable. Let’s take a closer look.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

NFL Offseason Sunday Night Football Matchup

  • No more Sunday Night Football games this season.

Watch Sunday Night Football: At a Glance

All Sunday Night Football matchups air on NBC. This means that in most areas in the United States, you can watch for free by setting up an antenna. Sling TV will even give you one free.

If that’s not a viable option for you, NBC is widely available on streaming services. We recommend Fubo or DIRECTV STREAM, which offer it just about everywhere. But you have other options that we discuss below.

Since they’re streaming-only services, you won’t need a cable subscription, just the ability to connect to the internet.

Find out how to watch more than the local and primetime games in our NFL Out-of-Market Guide.

Unblock Your Favorite Events & Teams With a VPN

If you can’t watch your favorite events or teams because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequaled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.

Get ExpressVPN Today

Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.

Live Streaming Services for Sunday Night Football

Sunday Night Football on NFL+
Android smartphone running NFL+ with Sunday Night Football (Sep 10, 2023).

All the following streaming services offer your local NBC affiliate and much more:

  • Fubo: Gives you everything you need to enjoy the entire NFL season including CBS, Fox, ESPN, and NFL Network in its 150+ channel lineup for $79.99/mo. You also get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and simultaneous streaming on up to 10 devices at home and away. (Fubo review)
  • Sling TV: The Sling Blue plan gives you NBC and Fox along with 40+ other channels for just $40.00/mo. And you can add most other channels for a fee. It includes 50 hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to three devices. (Sling TV review) (Sunday Night Football on Sling TV, Monday Night Football on Sling TV)
  • DIRECTV STREAM: This full-cable replacement service gives you all you need in its base plan for $79.99/mo. And it provides pretty much every channel you can think of as an option. Its one downside is that it does not currently offer NFL Network. All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on unlimited at once at home. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
  • Hulu + Live TV: Get 85+ live TV channels along with Disney+ and ESPN+. Subscribers can also take advantage of unlimited cloud DVR and simultaneous streaming on up to two devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)
  • YouTube TV: This service provides all the channels you need for the NFL season for $72.99/mo.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

Peacock

Sunday Night Football will also stream live on Peacock. However, you will need to sign up for the Peacock Premium service for $5.99/mo. See our Peacock review for complete details.

Sign Up for Peacock Now!

Sunday Night Football on Peacock
Upcoming Week 4 matchup on Peacock

NFL+

If you don’t mind watching on a mobile device (phone or tablet), NFL+ is a good deal. For $6.99/mo, you get to live stream all your local Sunday afternoon games.

And you also get to live stream all the primetime games — Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders - Sunday Night Football September 24, 2023 - NFL+
You could watch Kenny Pickett and the Steelers cream Jimmy Garappolo and the Raiders any time you want on NFL+ — no commercials, no time-outs (Week 3, 2023-24).

You can even watch on-demand replays. They come in handy if you can’t catch the game live, or you just want to watch a replay of one of your favorites. Our NFL+ review has all the details.

Try NFL+ Now!

Devices to Live Stream Sunday Night Football

All the live TV streaming services we’ve discussed above, as well as Peacock, support the vast majority of streaming devices in use today. These include the following:

  • Amazon Fire TV
  • Android mobile
  • Android TV smart TVs
  • Apple TV
  • Chromecast
  • iOS (iPhone, iPad)
  • LG smart TVs
  • Roku
  • Samsung smart TVs
  • VIZIO smart TVs
  • Web Browsers
  • Xbox One gaming systems.

Note that DIRECTV STREAM does not support Android TV, LG, VIZIO, and Xbox. Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock also support PlayStation units.

Superpower Your Sports Streaming With a VPN

For the sake of privacy, security, and access, you should be using a VPN. They are low-cost and easy to use. We’ve been using them for years and our top pick is ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.

i Our VPN Buyer’s Guide provides a complete introduction and all you need to know to choose the best VPN for your needs.

About Sunday Night Football

Sunday Night Football is NBC Sports’s NFL brand. It mostly features all the Sunday night games of the regular season. But it also shows preseason and post-season games, as well as some Thursday night regular season matchups.

Sunday night games on NBC are preceded by Football Night in America, NBC’s long-running pre-game show.

Football Night in America, preshow to Sunday Night Football on NBC
From left, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison on Football Night in America on NBC (Week 1, 2023)

The first Sunday Night Football game aired in 2006 with the Hall of Fame game. This is the first (preseason) game each year. It is always a Sunday Night Football game, except for years when there are scheduling conflicts (normally because of NBC’s coverage of the Olympics or other live sports).

In addition to airing all the Sunday night games, NBC also airs two Thursday night games: the first of the season and the Thanksgiving game. This will be the case for at least the next few years.

On-Air Talent

Cris Collinsworth, Sunday Night Football announcer
Former Cincinnati Bengal Cris Collinsworth now commentates on Sunday Night Football.

Sunday Night Football features Mike Tirico doing the play-by-play announcing — taking over from Al Michaels, who has moved to Thursday Night Football. Michaels still commentates some special NBC sporting events.

Doing analysis with him is former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth. Rounding out the group is Melissa Stark who does sideline reporting. Former ref Terry McAulay provides rules analysis (he also serves in this role for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football).

Sunday Night Football Schedule

This season, two of the NBC Sunday Night Football games will actually air on Thursday: Sep 7th (Lions @ Chiefs) and Nov 23th (49ers @ Seahawks). That’s the season opener and one of the Thanksgiving games.

Here are all the SNF matchups on the NFL schedule. All the games air on NBC with a start time of and kickoff at (all times Eastern).

DateTime (ET)Teams
Thu Aug 3Cleveland Browns (21) at New York Jets (16) [P]
Sun Sep 10Dallas Cowboys (40) at New York Giants (0)
Sun Sep 17Miami Dolphins (24) at New England Patriots (17)
Sun Sep 24Pittsburgh Steelers (23) at Las Vegas Raiders (18)
Sun Oct 1Kansas City Chiefs (23) at NY Jets (20)
Sun Oct 8Dallas Cowboys (10) at San Francisco 49ers (42)
Sun Oct 15NY Giants (9) at Buffalo Bills (14)
Sun Oct 22Miami Dolphins (17) at Philadelphia Eagles (31)
Sun Oct 29Chicago Bears (13) at LA Chargers (30)
Sun Nov 5Buffalo Bills (18) at Cincinnati Bengals (24)
Sun Nov 12NY Jets (12) at Las Vegas Raiders (16)
Sun Nov 19Minnesota Vikings (20) at Denver Broncos (21)
Thu Nov 23San Francisco 49ers (31) at Seattle Seahawks (13)
Sun Nov 26Baltimore Ravens (20) at LA Chargers (10)
Sun Dec 3Kansas City Chiefs (19) at Green Bay Packers (27)
Sun Dec 10Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Sun Dec 17Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sat Dec 23Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sat Dec 23Buffalo Bills at LA Chargers
Sun Dec 31Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Sun Jan 7TBDTBD

Other Sunday Night (but not Sunday Night Football) games are:

DateTimeTeamsChannel
Sun Aug 20New Orleans Saints (22) at Los Angles Chargers (17) [P]NFLN
Sun Aug 27Houston Texans (17) at New Orleans Saints (13) [P]Fox

Teams not appearing on SNF this season:

Wrapping Up

You can watch Sunday Night Football without cable using any of these services.

Have any other questions about how to watch Sunday Night Football online without cable or satellite? Just comment below for help!

FAQs

How do I watch NFL games this season when it’s not Sunday night?

One nice thing about the NFL is that the season is well-structured. Most weeks, the schedule is as follows:

  • Thursday Night Football: Amazon Prime Video with kickoff at
  • Sunday Early Afternoons: CBS (AFC) and Fox (NFC) with kickoff at
  • Sunday Late Afternoons: CBS (AFC) and Fox (NFC) with kickoff at
  • Sunday Night Football: NBC with kickoff at
  • Monday Night Football: ESPN and/or ABC with kickoff at .

Note that CBS live games are simulcast on Paramount+, Fox live games are simulcast on the Fox Sports app, ABC games are simulcast on ESPN3, and ESPN/ABC live games are sometimes simulcast on ESPN+.

Will Sunday Night Football air playoff games?

Yes. There will be a Wild-Card game on Sunday, January 14th. NBC and Peacock are also airing Wild-Card Round matchups the day before, Saturday, January 13th. That’s all we know for now, though the AFC and NFC Championships will be on CBS and Fox, respectively, and Super Bowl LVIII will be on CBS.

Will Sunday Night Football air any preseason games?

Sunday Night Football airs only one preseason matchup: the Hall of Fame game Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game Thursday, August 3rd at (the Browns won). Otherwise, the schedule is limited to 17 Sunday night and 2 Thursday night regular season games and two post-season wild card games.

Can I watch Sunday Night Football on NFL Redzone?

No, NFL Redzone is limited to Sunday afternoon games (the “early” one around 1 pm and the “later” one around 4-ish). It shows seven hours of “whip-around” coverage of all the most exciting bits of all the games going on any given Sunday afternoon. It does not show entire games, and it does not cover Sunday night games (which are almost exclusively NBC).

How can I watch Sunday football for free?

You can watch free football all day long on Sunday with just an antenna, which costs less than $50. Sunday afternoon games are on Fox and CBS, and Sunday night games are on NBC — all three of those are “OTA” over-the-air, sometimes also called free-to-air. Anyone with the means to pick them up can watch for free.

If you’re interested in watching more than just broadcast channels, you should take a look at Sling TV — prepay one month ($40.00/mo) and you can get a free antenna from them.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Where can I live stream Sunday Night Football?

Sunday Night Football appears exclusively on NBC. If you’d rather stream it than pick it up on antenna, you can do so through one of the fine live streaming services mentioned above. Another option would be to subscribe to Peacock Premium, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, which live streams all of NBC’s live sports.

Or, if you want to watch on your phone or tablet, you can sign up for NFL+, which gives you mobile access to all the nationally televised and local (to you) games.

How can I live stream NFL games without cable?

If you aim to stream every single last game, you’ll need YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket. Until recently, Sunday Ticket was only on DIRECTV’s satellite service, but starting this year, it will be exclusively offered through YouTube TV. But it’s expensive (starts around $450 for the season), and most fans don’t actually want or need it. See our out of market NFL guide for more info.

You will also need a live streaming TV provider that covers ESPN and NFL Network. You’ll need all four networks (NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC), either through your TV provider or an antenna. And you’ll have to have Amazon Prime Video for Thursday Night Football.

Alternately, you can get NFL+, if you don’t mind watching on your phone (live) or watching the replay (if you want to watch on your TV).

What is the NFL Sunday Night Football schedule?

It’s an exciting one! The first Sunday night game will be 9/10, and the last (of the regular season) will be January 7th. Check it out in the article above.

What is the name of the theme song for Sunday Night Football?

The theme song has changed a few times over the years, but the current opening theme is “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” performed by Carrie Underwood. The song is based on Joan Jett’s 1988 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” and was originally performed by Pink back in 2006 when SNF began.

The instrumental theme, “Wide Receiver,” was composed by John Williams (yes, Star Wars John Williams), with additional orchestrations by Joel Beckerman.

How do I watch the games of specific NFL teams?

We’ve created viewer’s guides for all the NFL teams:

AFC East AFC North AFC South AFC West
Buffalo Bills Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins Cincinnati Bengals Indianapolis Colts Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots Cleveland Browns Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Chargers
New York Jets Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East NFC North NFC South NFC West
Dallas Cowboys Chicago Bears Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals
New York Giants Detroit Lions Carolina Panthers Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles Green Bay Packers New Orleans Saints San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers Seattle Seahawks

More Info on NFL Without Cable

If you still have questions, these resources should help:

Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord

  1. Pick the right streaming service
  2. Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
  3. Supercharge your internet provider

That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

Page Updates

  1. Updated for the 2023 season.

  2. Updated some sub-sections. Updated some section headings. Added some more links.

  3. Misc changes. Reformatting.

  4. Linking. Small layout changes.

  5. Updated some sub-sections. Added some links. Misc content updates.

  6. Added new section. Updated some sub-sections. Updates to a section. Changed some content in main section. Removed section.

  7. Added some links. Reformatting. Misc changes to content.

  8. Added buttons for streaming services. Updated some sub-sections. More links. Misc changes to content.

  9. Added new section. Added sub-section. Added info about guide. Reworked one section. Updated one section. Changed some content in main section. Cleaned up list.

  10. Pricing updates. Put related links. Changed a few bits of content.

Frank Moraes
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