The Ultimate Guide to Streaming NFL Games in 2025 – All Free and Paid Options
Football is back! It won’t be cheap to watch the games online this year, but I’ll walk you through everything you need to know and offer up some recommendations to save money.
Streaming Smarter recommends Prime Video and YouTube TV as the best football package in 2025.
Streaming Nationally Televised NFL Games
If you want the majority of games on Thursday nights, Sundays, and Monday nights, you need a minimum of Prime Video and a way to watch CBS, FOX, ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.
There are a couple of exceptions:
- Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers – YouTube Exclusive
- Week 7: Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks – ESPN+ Exclusive
- Week 17 (Christmas Day): Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Netflix Exclusives
How to Watch NFL Games for Free
There are two main ways to watch NFL games for free: use an antenna or acess a free trial.
Choosing Free Trials for Short-Term NFL Access
Most live TV services offer free trials. DIRECTV offers a 5-day free trial, Fubo offers a free trial that changes between 1 day and 7 days. Hulu + Live TV offers a 3-day free trial. YouTube TV gives a 5-day free trial.
It’s worth trying several different streamers for free to see which is worth paying for. (Of these, I like DIRECTV.)
Watching NFL for Free with an Antenna
An antenna can be a great way to keep up with the NFL, since you’d get all the Sunday games on FOX, CBS, and NBC.
Monday nights will be hit-or-miss, depending if the games are simulcast on ABC. This season, ABC hosts or simulcasts 13 games
If you live in the market of either Thursday night team, you will be able to watch with an antenna. If not, Prime Video is your only option.
If you connect your antenna to a HDHomeRun and connect it to your computer with Plex Pass, you can stream and record any game you can access over-the-air for free! That’s what I do.
Channel Master FLATenna
Use this great indoor antenna to pick up free HD and digital signals with a 35-mile range. Watch ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, and more for free forever!
What you can’t watch with an antenna: ESPN, Prime Video, NFL Network, NFL RedZone, Prime Video, and the 4 exclusive games on Netflix, ESPN+, and YouTube.
Streaming NFL RedZone
Since I play fantasy football, I love NFL RedZone. For 7 straight hours, I get all the highlights in real-time. I don’t have to sit through injuries or time-outs, and the commercials are minimal. To watch NFL RedZone, your options are DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, or NFL+.
The cheapest option is NFL+ ($14.99/month), but that service alone won’t help you watch the games on other channels. I usually add NFL RedZone to my Sling TV package for the best price.
Out-of-Market NFL Streaming
If your team is playing out of your local market and the game isn’t televised nationally, your only option to watch is the outrageously expensive NFL Sunday Ticket.
Bundling Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV
One option is to get Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV. If you are a new user, you’ll pay 8 payments of $34.50 ($276) for Sunday Ticket, and you’ll need YouTube TV, which is $49.99 for your first 3 months before jumping to $82.99.
If you are a returning subscriber, you won’t get those discounts. The price is $378 (8 payments of $47.25) for Sunday Ticket. YouTube TV may or may not honor its promo pricing for the regular TV package.
Standalone Sunday Ticket Option
If you don’t want YouTube TV, you can watch Sunday Ticket on regular YouTube (including your TV’s YouTube app).
New users pay 8 payments of $34.50 ($276) for Sunday Ticket.
But returning Sunday Ticket subscribers will pay far more for the standalone package: 8 payments of $60 or $480 for the year.
$85/mo.
Watching NFL with DIRECTV
DIRECTV is a great choice for football.
DIRECTV Pros
DIRECTV Cons
DIRECTV is one of my top choices for the NFL. It offers lots of channel packages. You could go with the MySports package for $69.99, which gives you ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, NFL Network, and free ESPN+. Add RedZone to this for just $12.99.
Another option is the “Entertainment” plan, which is $49.99 for your first month. That includes all the football channels, plus one free month of the Sports Pack with NFL RedZone. You also get 3 free months of HBO Max, Paramount+ Premium, STARZ, MGM+, and Cinemax, plus one free month of Peacock. You’d get $30 off your first month and $5 off the channel package for 24 months.
$49.99/mo.+
Watching NFL with Fubo
Fubo has some nice features, but I don’t recommend it because of its price and the lack of some important channels.
Fubo Pros
Fubo Cons
Fubo does have the key NFL channels you might want, but the price is unfortunate. There’s a hidden regional sports fee that brings the price over $100/month. And you don’t get the add-ons and bonuses offered by its competitors. I recommend a different option.
$89.98/mo.
Watching NFL with Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is an excellent NFL choice. You get free ESPN+ (and Hulu on-demand and Disney+).
Hulu + Live TV Pros
Hulu + Live TV Cons
If you want one solution to watch the majority of the NFL, Hulu + Live TV hits home with all the main networks you need. The addition of free ESPN+ means you won’t have to go out of your way to watch the Week 7 Texans-Seahawks game.
$89.99/mo.
Includes FREE Disney+, ESPN Unlimited, and Hulu on-demand
Watching NFL with Sling TV
Sling has been my NFL go-to for years because it’s usually the least expensive option. But the lack of CBS and limited ABC, CBS, and FOX availaiblity may be a dealbreaker for you. If you live in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, or the San Francisco area, you’d get all three channels, so this is an especially great option.
Sling TV Pros
Sling TV Cons
While I highly recommend Sling, check this chart to know if you’ll have some of the important channels.
| Market | FOX | NBC | ABC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Yes | ||
| Austin | Yes | ||
| Boston | Yes | ||
| Chicago | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dallas | Yes | ||
| Detroit | |||
| Fresno | Yes | ||
| Gainesville | Yes | ||
| Hartford | Yes | ||
| Houston | Yes | Yes | |
| Los Angeles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Miami | Yes | ||
| Milwaukee | Yes | ||
| Minneapolis | Yes | ||
| New York City | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oakland | Yes | ||
| Orlando | Yes | ||
| Philadelphia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phoenix | Yes | ||
| Raleigh/Durham | Yes | ||
| San Diego | Yes | ||
| San Francisco | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| San Jose | Yes | Yes | |
| Seattle | Yes | ||
| Tacoma | Yes | ||
| Tampa | Yes | ||
| Washington, D.C. | Yes | Yes |
If you live in an area without FOX, you can stream it with FOX One. If you live in an area without NBC, Peacock can fix that. And for CBS, just sign up for Paramount+ Premium to watch.
Sling is a great option if you have an antenna to grab your local channels since it can offer ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone at a great price.
$45.99/mo.+
Watching NFL with YouTube TV
YouTube TV has all the channels you need, but you don’t get any free streamers like you do with its competitors. I used YouTube TV for several years, but switched to Sling TV for my football fix the past few years. Because of a wild promo going on right now, YouTube TV is the cheapest way to watch the first 3 months of the NFL season. Just cancel before the full price kicks in and choose a less expensive option.
YouTube TV Pros
YouTube TV Cons
$82.99/mo.
Watching NFL with Peacock
Peacock only gives you Sunday Night Football games, but it can be helpful if you choose Sling TV and live in an area where it doesn’t offer NBC. If you like the NBA, Peacock will have many of those games starting in October.
$16.99/mo.
Watching NFL with Paramount+
If you need access to NFL games on CBS, Paramount+ is a great choice. It’s the perfect complement if you have a service without CBS, like Sling TV.
$12.99/mo.
Watching NFL with Prime Video
Prime Video is the home for Thursday Night Football in most weeks. You can get started with a 30-day free trial. The service is also included free if you have Amazon Prime.
- Preseason—Thursday, August 21: New England Patriots at New York Giants
- Week 2: Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers
- Week 3 Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
- Week 4: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
- Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
- Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
- Week 7: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 8: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 9: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
- Week 10: Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos
- Week 11: New York Jets at New England Patriots
- Week 12: Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
- Week 13 (Black Friday): Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 14: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions
- Week 15: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Week 16: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
- Week 17: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
- Wild Card playoff game: January 10 or 11; Matchup TBD
$8.99/mo.
Watching NFL with Fox One
FOX One is a new service this year. If you subscribe, you’ll be able to watch any game that airs on your local FOX affiliate. That may be helpful for Sling TV users who may not have FOX access, but it’s a poor choice for most users.
$19.99
Watching NFL with NFL+
If you’re looking for a standalone football option, NFL+ may be in play. If you pay for NFL+ ($6.99), you can watch NFL Network. With NFL+ Premium ($14.99), you can watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone on TV.
You can save 20% if you sign up for the annual plan.
$6.99/mo.
Watching NFL with Netflix
Netflix can only help you for two games this year. Both are on Christmas Day: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings.
Watching NFL with ESPN Unlimited or ESPN Select
ESPN Select (previously called ESPN+) has one exclusive game in Week 7 when the Texans play the Seahawks. Otherwise, the service will offer “select games” that are on either ESPN or ABC. For that reason, I don’t really recommend ESPN+ unless you need that Week 7 game.
ESPN Unlimited is a direct-to-consumer streaming option for all those ESPN and ABC games and will include ESPN+. But the price is too high at $29.99. A standard TV bundle via DIRECTV or Sling TV makes more sense.
$12.99-$29.99
You can bundle ESPN Unlimited with FOX One or NFL+ Premium.
What NFL Games are on NFL Network in 2025?
NFL Network has 21 preseason games and 7 regular-season games.
- Week 4: Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin)
- Week 5: Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns (London)
- Week 6: Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets (London)
- Week 7: Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
- Week 10: Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts (Berlin)
- Week 11: Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins (Madrid)
- Week 17: TBD
You can watch NFL Network with DIRECTV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV, and NFL+.
When Are the Monday Night Football Doubleheaders?
In 2025, there are 4 Monday Night doubleheaders.
- Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans (ABC) and Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders (ESPN)
- Week 4: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (ESPN) and Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (ABC)
- Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons (ESPN) and Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders (ABC)
- Week 7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (ESPN and ABC) and Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks (ESPN+)
Why Choose a Streaming Service for NFL Games?
Streaming is usually significantly cheaper than cable. You’ll also have greater channel flexibility so you only pay for what you want.
Importantly, there’s no contract with streaming! Sign up for one month or quit before your free trial expires. There’s no downside.
You also don’t need special cable boxes to stream football. You can watch with your smart TV, streaming device, phone, tablet, or computer. It’s ultimate flexibility at a better price.
Conclusion
For football fans, the package I’d recommend is Prime Video and YouTube TV. NFL RedZone is a must-have channel for me, but if you prefer full games over a wall-to-wall highlight blitz, you may not need to pay up for it.
It’s up to you if you want to spend on ESPN+ or Netflix for their exclusive games. Netflix usually saves its best content for December, so it’s worth the subscription then.
I wouldn’t bother with NFL+. RedZone is cheaper as an add-on with a larger TV package, and the lack of network channels and ESPN make that a dealbreaker for me.
