The 2026-2027 NFL regular season has a total of 272 games spread across multiple broadcast networks and streaming services.
You can watch NFL games without cable throughout the 2026-2027 season using a mix of streaming services. There are Sunday afternoon showdowns on CBS/Paramount+ and FOX, and primetime games on NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN, and Prime Video. Select international games air on NFL Network, while Netflix has a smattering of tilts throughout the campaign.
That can sound like a lot to remember (and pay for), sure, but cord-cutters have several ways to stream NFL games all season long.
Yes, you read that right. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the league or want to just watch your favorite local or out-of-market team, this guide breaks down how to watch NFL games without cable, including cost-effective streaming options and other recommendations.
Key facts
- Season: 2026 NFL season
- Main broadcast partners: CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, NFL Network
- Streaming partners: Paramount+, Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix, FOX One
- Paramount+ coverage: Live local NFL on CBS games and NFL on CBS playoff games
The best ways to watch NFL games without cable
So what are the best ways to watch football games without cable? We’re glad you asked.
Let’s start with the bad news. No single service offers every single NFL game this season. However, there are plenty of ways to combine streaming services to watch NFL games without cable.
How to watch local games on Sunday without cable
For fans without cable who just want to watch their local games on the weekend, here are three options:
- Use a digital antenna to pick up your local CBS and FOX stations;
- Use a live-TV streaming service (à la YouTubeTV, DirectTV Stream, Sling TV, etc.) that offers your local CBS and FOX stations; and,
- Subscription services Paramount+ and FOX One offer streaming access to available local games.
How to watch out-of-market games on Sunday without cable
The simplest solution to watching Sunday afternoon out-of-market games is through NFL Sunday Ticket, sold as an add-on to a YouTube TV plan, or as a standalone YouTube channel. With the NFL Sunday Ticket, you can find every out-of-market Sunday afternoon matchup.
NFL Sunday Ticket makes the most sense for fans who need to follow their team from afar. If you’re a Cowboys fan, for instance, who lives in New York, then it’d make sense to get the NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV or YouTube. You’ll be able to watch all the games broadcast locally in Dallas.
With or without NFL Sunday Ticket, a YouTube TV live-TV streaming plan will also get you NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and ABC/ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The only other service you’ll need for most weeks is Prime Video, which broadcasts Thursday Night Football.
How to watch national games without cable
During the regular season, national games regularly air Thursday nights (Thursday Night Football), Sunday nights (Sunday Night Football), and Monday nights (Monday Night Football). To watch those games without cable, here’s what you need to do:
- Thursday Night Football
- Airing: Prime Video
- How to watch without cable: (1) Stream on Prime Video with a subscription; (2) If your local team is playing on TNF, your local team’s local TV station will broadcast the game. In that case, you can watch that game without cable using a digital antenna or live-TV streaming service.
- Sunday Night Football
- Airing: NBC/Peacock
- How to watch without cable: (1) Digital antenna to pick up your local NBC station; (2) Live-TV streaming service that offers your local NBC station (3) Stream on Peacock with a subscription
- Monday Night Football
- Airing: ESPN/ABC
- How to watch without cable: (1) Digital antenna to pick up your local ABC station; (2) Live-TV streaming service that offers your local ABC station (3) Stream on ESPN Unlimited with a subscription
And if you’re a completionist about national games, then you’ll also need Netflix and the NFL+ app for select games.
How to watch games exclusively on mobile
For fans who want to watch games exclusively on their mobile devices or tablets, then the NFL offers their own service, NFL+ and NFL+ Premium. NFL+ offers live local and primetime games on mobile while NFL+ Premium offers those games along with the RedZone Channel, among other perks. It should be noted that NFL+ only streams local and primetime games. If you are an out-of-market fan then you’ll need to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.
NFL streaming options compared
| Service | What You Get | Approx. Cost | Best For |
| Paramount+ | Local NFL on CBS games* | $$ | CBS fans, Landman fans, Star Trek fans, etc., and budget viewers |
| YouTube TV | CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC/ESPN, NFL Network and more | $$$$ | Most complete game coverage, including Monday Night Football |
| Hulu + Live TV | Major NFL networks | $$$$ | General TV viewers |
| Fubo | Sports-heavy package | $$$$ | Sports fans |
| Sling TV | Select NFL channels | $$$ | Budget live TV |
| Prime Video | Thursday Night Football & other select games | $$ | NFL fans who don’t want to miss a single game |
| Peacock | Sunday Night Football & other select games | $$ | NBC games |
| NFL+ | Mobile viewing & replays | $ | Supplemental access |
| NFL Sunday Ticket (sold via YouTube TV/YouTube) | Out-of-market Sunday games | $$$$ | Die-hard and out-of-market fans |
| Netflix | Select national games (Christmas doubleheader, etc.) | $$ | Sports fans for whom the holidays aren’t complete without NFL football |
*With Paramount+, you stream games that are aired by your local CBS TV stations. Sometimes, these games will feature your local/regional NFL team. Sometimes, the games will out-of-market teams.
Why Paramount+ is a smart starting point
Signing up for Paramount+ is a great jumping off point for most NFL fans.
Paramount+ offers local NFL games throughout the regular season and some of the biggest playoff games in the postseason. Every week, Paramount+ broadcasts local games and matchups that are deemed games of the week. Paramount+ streams at least one game per week and select weeks have double-headers. Paramount+ also has the rights to playoff games such as the AFC Championship Game. Paramount+ typically shows a majority of AFC teams, so if your favorite or local team is in the AFC, then this service will most likely be the one you want.
Plans start at $8.99 per month, which makes Paramount+ one of the most cost-effective ways to watch the NFL without cable.
What’s even better is that you aren’t restricted to just NFL games. Paramount+ streams the UFC, UEFA, Zuffa Boxing, college football games and more. If you’re more than just a sports fan, then you’ll get access to some of the biggest shows on TV such as Landman, Star Trek, Lioness and Survivor, among others.
What NFL games can I watch on Paramount+?
- Local Sunday afternoon NFL on CBS games
- Featured national CBS games
- Select playoff games from the Wild Card round, the Divisional round, and the AFC Championship Game.
Build your ideal NFL streaming stack
Now, how should you build the perfect NFL streaming bundle without cable? That’s a fun yet complicated question. Let’s take a look.
Cheapest setups
Nothing is cheaper than free. The only free option is through an antenna which will broadcast local channels (CBS, ABC and FOX). That will get you a majority of NFL games, but it won’t, for instance, allow you to watch Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
If an antenna is not a viable option for you, the next cheapest option is NFL+. The standard version of NFL+ costs $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year. That will allow you to stream local and primetime NFL games on your mobile device or tablet.
For fans who do not want to use an antenna or be restricted to mobile devices, then the next best option is to sign up for Paramount+ and FOX One. As mentioned, Paramount+ plans start at $8.99 per month, while FOX One costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year. This will give fans access to their local CBS and FOX games without cable.
These are the ideal options for casual fans of their local team.
If you’re looking for more, then let’s break down other options.
Most complete setup
There are a couple different routes for a more complete setup to watching the NFL without cable.
We ran through one earlier. The piecemeal option. A completionist fan can sign up for NFL+, Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN Unlimited and Netflix. That’ll give you almost every single game available including primetime games with the exception of out-of-market games. If you don’t want to be restricted to mobile devices or tablets then replace NFL+ with Paramount+ and FOX One.
For out-of-market and die-hard fans, the ultimate complete setup to watching NFL games without cable is to sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV or YouTube, along with Prime Video and Netflix. A YouTube TV live-TV streaming package (with or without the NFL Sunday Ticket add-on) will include access to CBS, FOX, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network, so the only additional services you’ll need are Prime and Netflix.
For out-of-market fans
For fans of out-of-market teams, then there’s really only one option, which we highlighted above: Purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket, as an add-on to YouTube TV or as a standalone YouTube channel, will allow you to watch every single Sunday afternoon game of your favorite team. YouTube TV also broadcasts Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and a majority of NFL International games.
For fantasy football players
Don’t think we forgot about you, fantasy football sickos.
While plenty of NFL fans are loyal to their team, there are plenty of people who care solely about their own fantasy football team. For you fantasy football aficionados out there, you can probably get by on signing up for the RedZone Channel, which does not broadcast full games, but it does do live check-ins and highlights from every Sunday afternoon game.
The cheapest way to get the RedZone Channel is to sign up NFL+ Premium subscription, priced at $14.99 per month. However, if you don’t want to be restricted to mobile devices or tablets, then the next cheapest option is to sign up for Sling TV’s Sling Blue base plan plus the Sports Extra add-on, which runs $57 per month. You’ll still need Prime Video and Netflix, though, to get every game.
If money isn’t an issue, then signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV/YouTube, and adding the RedZone Channel, along with Prime Video and Netflix, is the best setup for fantasy football fans who want to watch NFL games without cable.
Which NFL games are on which service?
- CBS games: Paramount+
- Live TV streaming services
- Local CBS affiliate
- FOX games: FOX One
- Sunday Night Football: NBC/Peacock
- NBC via live TV streaming
- Thursday Night Football: Prime Video
- Monday Night Football: ABC/ESPN via live TV streaming services or streaming on ESPN Unlimited.
- Out-of-market Sunday games: NFL Sunday Ticket
- Mobile streaming: NFL+ and other streaming services (YouTube TV, Sling, etc.)
- Netflix games: Week 1 (Rams vs. 49ers), Thanksgiving Eve (Packers vs. Rams), Christmas Day doubleheader and a Week 18 TBD game.
What to consider before choosing a streaming service
There are plenty of factors to consider when choosing which streaming service is right for you.
The top factor is, of course, the cost. While signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket and the other streaming services is ideal, that’s not for everyone in today’s economy. Other factors include whether you can use an antenna to get your local channels and if DVR functions are a necessity. If they are then an antenna might not be right for you and signing up for Paramount+ and FOX one, among other services, could be the perfect fit.
Finally, if you are a die-hard fan of one out-of-market team, then, again, NFL Sunday Ticket might be the best fit, depending on price.
NFL on CBS
Watch NowFrequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to watch NFL games without cable?
Nothing is cheaper than free. And the only free option is to watch NFL games through an antenna.
Can I watch local NFL games on Paramount+?
Yes. Paramount+ offers local Sunday games during the NFL regular season.
Do I need multiple streaming services to watch every NFL game?
Yes. To watch every single NFL game, you’ll need (at minimum) NFL Sunday Ticket, Prime Video and Netflix.
Can I watch NFL playoff games without cable?
Yes. NFL playoff games are split between CBS/Paramount+, FOX, NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN and Amazon’s Prime Video. To watch every playoff game without cable, you’ll need a streaming service such as Sling or YouTube TV. Or, you can sign up for Paramount+, FOX One, Peacock, ESPN Unlimited and Prime Video.
Final thoughts
This might all sound like a lot, but watching NFL games without cable is easier than it’s ever been. The hardest part is choosing the correct combination of streaming services.
NFL fans can choose how they want to experience the NFL season. Whether that’s through a completionist style of every single game like with NFL Sunday Ticket or through a piecemeal route of Paramount+ and other streaming services.
What matters is that you build your ideal NFL streaming setup through what gives you the most pleasure as an NFL fan while adhering to your budget and viewing habits.
