NFL on DIRECTV STREAM: Why It’s the Best Streaming Service for NFL Playoffs

Watch Super Bowl LVIII with for free with DIRECTV STREAM’s trial!

DIRECTV STREAM has the most potent sports lineup of any streaming service — and it’s likely better than your cable service too. So if you want to watch the NFL playoffs, DIRECTV STREAM is an excellent choice.

In a hurry? You can get the DIRECTV STREAM Entertainment plan for $86.99/month. which includes all the sports channels you’ll need for the entire NFL post-season.

Although some may consider DIRECTV STREAM a bit pricey, it’s got a fantastic lineup of sports channels. If you love sports, you’ll find yourself streaming games with it year-round.

The best news is that the NFL channels are included on the cheapest DIRECTV STREAM plan. This plan also comes with local channels, so you don’t need an antenna to see your local news.

New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM. Watch a week of playoff games for free.

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What NFL Channels Are on DIRECTV STREAM?

Regular season NFL games are easy to find on DIRECTV STREAM. AFC teams are generally shown on CBS and NFC teams on Fox. Inter-conference games are shown on CBS if the home team is in the AFC and on Fox if an NFC team is the host.

There are times when Fox or CBS will broadcast a game even if both teams are from another conference. In other words, Fox may show an AFC game and CBS may show an NFC game. The NFL does this to make sure that more fans can watch marquee matchups.

DIRECTV STREAM also provides the channels to watch two primetime weekly games:

• NBC: Sunday Night Football
• ABC/ESPN/ESPN2: Monday Night Football.

Thursday Night Football, however, airs only on Amazon Prime Video, so you won’t be able to watch them via DIRECTV STREAM — or any live TV streaming service.

Check out our guide to watching Thursday Night Football.

The NFL post-season is broadcast on ESPN, NBC, CBS, and Fox. That means with DIRECTV STREAM you can watch all the playoff games plus Super Bowl LVIII.

DIRECTV STREAM Plans

DIRECTV STREAM offers four plans. The good news is that the base, Entertainment, plan provides all the channels you need to watch the preseason, regular season, and postseason of the NFL. This includes all the local channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) and the sports channels ESPN, ESPN2, and Fox Sports 1 (FS1).

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Note that the Premier plan is substantially more expensive because it includes a full slate of premium channels from Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and Starz. You can get any of these as independent add-ons with the other channels.

The Choice plan is the most popular. You need it (or one of the higher-level plans) if you want access to DIRECTV STREAM’s exceptional collection of regional sports networks (RSNs). For complete information on this, see our DIRECTV STREAM Local Channels Guide.

Even without premium channels, DIRECTV STREAM provides a vast selection of constantly updated on-demand content based on the live channels that are included in your plan.

One place where DIRECTV STREAM stands above all the other streaming services is in its technical features. All plans include unlimited cloud DVR storage with individual items available for up to 9 months. And you can stream on any number of devices at one time, which makes it a great service for large households.

DIRECTV STREAM: Devices to Live Stream the NFL Playoffs

DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t provide support for less common streaming devices. But it supports all the standard ones:

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DIRECTV STREAM also supports its own device, which you can purchase directly. For complete information, see our DIRECTV STREAM Devices Guide.

Alternatives to DIRECTV STREAM For Streaming the 2023 NFL Playoffs

There are many live TV streaming services but only some will allow you to watch the NFL playoffs. For example, Philo and Frndly TV are both great services but they won’t let you stream NFL games.

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These live TV streaming services allow you to watch live games for the whole NFL season:

• Fubo (formerly FuboTV): Provides well over 150 channels with RSNs in select areas for $79.99/month. (Fubo review)
• Sling TV: Get Fox and NBC with Sling Blue for $45.99/month and add ESPN for a total of $60.99/month. (Sling TV review) (Super Bowl on Sling)
• Hulu + Live TV: Offers 85+ live TV channels along with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $82.99/month. (Hulu Live review)
• YouTube TV: Get 100+ channels for $82.99/month.

There are other services worth checking out for the NFL regular season and playoffs:

• NFL+: This is great for the playoffs if you don’t find watching on a smartphone or tablet for $6.99/month. It is also the best way to watch preseason games. And if you upgrade to Premium for $9.99/mo, you to watch replays of any game on-demand. (NFL+ review)
• Peacock: Watch all the NFL games on NBC live for $7.99/month. (Peacock review) (Black Friday deal)
• Paramount+: Watch all the NFL games on CBS live for $7.99/month. This is a great addition to Sling TV. (Paramount+ review) (Black Friday deal)

Wrapping Up

DIRECTV STREAM is a smart choice for many sports fans because it carries more RSNs than any other streaming provider. Fans of the NFL will get most of the league’s coverage — including the playoffs and the Super Bowl — except for Thursday Night Football games or content on the NFL Network.

So of year-end football is your passion, you can’t go wrong by trying DIRECTV STREAM. Sign up for the free trial today. (Black Friday deal)

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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.

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