How to watch the NFL without cable—and spend as little as possible

I’m not going pretend that watching the NFL has gotten easier in the streaming age, but believe it or not, it’s still cheaper than cable.

Between slimmer streaming TV packages, new standalone options, and possibly an antenna, there are more ways to get the football coverage you want without paying for what you don’t. As the 2026 NFL season gets closer, here’s how to plan ahead and avoid spending too much just to watch football:

Option 1: Sports-centric streaming bundles

The easiest way to get broad NFL coverage with minimal hassle is with a skinny sports bundle such as YouTube TV Sports, DirecTV MySports, or Fubo Sports.

All three packages cost $65 per month, far less than a typical cable TV or live TV streaming package, and they all include ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and NFL Network. Those channels will cover the vast majority of in-market NFL games every week.

Which one should you choose? That largely depends on which other channels you want. Check out the chart below for details:

Jared Newman / Foundry

What if you want more channels?

• YouTube TV’s Sports + News and Sports + Entertainment packages cost $72 per month, versus $83 per month for all YouTube TV channels. See my coverage of YouTube TV’s genre plans for details.
• DirecTV offers a MySports + MyNews package for $80 per month, or you can opt for its larger “Signature” packages, some of which also carry regional sports.
• Fubo’s full-size packages start at $89 per month, plus regional sports fees that start at $13 per month.
• You can add NFL Redzone with YouTube TV’s Sports Plus add-on ($11 per month) or DirecTV’s MySportsExtra add-on ($13 per month).

Note that none of these packages will get you Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football games or Netflix’s occasional exclusives. You’ll have to pay for those services separately.

Option 2: Local channel streaming bundles

If your main priority is Sunday games and you’re willing to forgo ESPN and NFL Network, both DirecTV and YouTube TV have cheaper options to consider.

• DirecTV’s $45 per month MyNews plan includes local ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox channels, plus cable news channels.
• YouTube TV’s $55 per month Entertainment plan includes local ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox channels, plus a mix of entertainment channels. You can add cable news channels for $8 per month more. See my coverage of YouTube TV’s genre plans for details.

Despite the lack of sports branding, either option would entitle you to Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox, Sunday Night Football on NBC, and any Monday Night Football games ESPN simulcasts on ABC.

Option 3: Antenna with streaming supplements

For those who live close enough to local broadcast stations, an over-the-air antenna is still the best way to watch in-market NFL games for free. With an antenna, you’ll get Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox, Sunday Night Football on NBC, and any Monday Night Football games that ESPN simulcasts on ABC.

An antenna will not get you ESPN’s Monday Night Football games, Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football games, or Netflix’s exclusives, with one exception: If your local team is playing in any of those games, one of your broadcast stations will carry them.

For the games that otherwise air on cable channels or streaming services, you’ve got a few options:

• Sling’s Day Passes will let you watch ESPN for $5 per day, handy when there’s a particular Monday Night Football game you want to see.
• Alternatively, ESPN Unlimited costs $30 per month and includes NFL Network at no extra charge. You can bundle it with NFL+ Premium (which includes NFL Redzone) for $10 per month more.
• There’s no easy way around those Netflix and Amazon Prime exclusives, though in the past Amazon’s Twitch website has streamed Thursday Night Football for free. Hopefully that continues in 2026.

Option 4: Standalone streaming services

If you’d rather not pay for a big TV package and can’t pick up local channels from an antenna, you’ve got some standalone options to consider:

• Paramount+ gets you CBS’s afternoon NFL games for $9 per month.
• Fox One gets you Fox’s afternoon NFL games for $20 per month.
• Peacock gets you NBC’s Sunday Night Football games for $11 per month.
• ESPN Unlimited costs $30 per month and gets you ESPN and NFL network coverage. You can bundle it with either Fox One or NFL+ Premium (which includes NFL Redzone) for $10 per month more, though you can’t bundle all three together.
• NFL+ Premium cost $15 per month or $80 per year, includes both NFL Network and NFL Redzone.

This adds up to $75 per month with Redzone, or $60 per month without. That’s barely less than the sports packages I mentioned in Option 1, plus you’ll have to juggle a bunch of apps.

Still, the standalone route provides more flexibility. If your local team primarily plays on Fox, you might be able to cut out Paramount+ in favor of just Fox One, or vice versa if your team is mainly on CBS. Maybe you can skip most of those Sunday Night Football games on Peacock, and use a Sling Day Pass for the occasional Monday Night Football game on ESPN. For those willing to actively finagle their streaming accounts, there’s some potential to save more money.

Option 5: Sling Select in a major city

Sling Select costs $20 per month and is anchored by NFL Network, FS1, and Fox News. In most markets, it’s a non-starter for NFL coverage. But in some major cities, Sling Select also includes local channels for an additional charge:

• All three of ABC/NBC/Fox: $10/mo surcharge
• One or two of ABC/NBC/Fox: $5 per month surcharge

For football purposes, $35 per month for three out of the four major broadcast networks plus NFL Network is a decent deal. You can also bundle Sling Essentials for $15 per month more, which would get you ESPN and ESPN2. Check your zip code on Sling’s site to see which local channels you’ll get, if any.

Just note that you’ll be without CBS either way, so consider a separate Paramount+ subscription to access those games.

What about out-of-market games?

YouTube carries exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and does not offer single-team options. If your favorite team doesn’t play where you live, that unfortunately means paying $378 for a full season of live, out-of-market games.

Some ways you might be able to pay less:

• New Sunday Ticket subscribers can pay $240 for the season instead.
• If you’ve subscribed before, try cancelling now and seeing if YouTube offers you a retention discount.
• Verizon home internet and MyPlan wireless customers can get Sunday Ticket for $234, or $276 with NFL Redzone. Alternatively, it’s free when you switch or upgrade to one of Verizon’s more expensive plans.
• Consider a $15 per month NFL+ Premium subscription instead. You’ll get whip-around coverage that includes every team’s scoring plays, plus full game replays after they’ve finished airing live. Maybe that’s good enough.
• If you’re okay with just listening to the games, SiriusXM will offer a $5 per month Sports Pass that covers every NFL game, including out-of-market teams. It will be available starting September 1.

Looking over all the above options, I understand why some folks pine for the relative simplicity of cable. But by slicing up pay TV in different ways, you’ve got a better chance at getting just what you need without the full cost of a bloated bundle. Hopefully this guide has made it a bit easier as the 2026-2027 season approaches.

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