Look, the "Sunday Ticket" era changed everything. Honestly, if you're still paying a massive monthly cable bill just to catch your local team or track your fantasy roster, you’re basically throwing money into a furnace. It's annoying. You just want the game on. But between blackouts, regional restrictions, and five different streaming apps, figuring out how to watch all NFL games without cable feels like a part-time job.
It used to be simpler. You had a box, a remote, and a huge bill. Now? You’ve got options, but those options have rules. If you want every single snap—from the Thursday night kickoff to the final whistle on Monday—you need a specific strategy.
Let's get one thing straight: "All games" is a tricky phrase. Depending on where you live, "all games" might mean just your local team and the primetime slots. Or it might mean you're a die-hard Lions fan living in Florida, which is a totally different ballgame.
The NFL Sunday Ticket reality check
If you want the out-of-market games, you have to talk about YouTube TV. They took over the Sunday Ticket rights from DirecTV, and frankly, it's a much better experience, even if the price tag makes you winced a little. This is the only way to legally watch games that aren't airing in your local market on a Sunday afternoon.
You don’t actually need a full YouTube TV base subscription to get it. You can buy it as a standalone "Primetime Channel." It’s pricier that way, but if you hate the idea of a $70+ monthly live TV bill, it’s a solid workaround.
But here is the catch. Sunday Ticket doesn’t give you everything. It specifically excludes the stuff that’s already on your local channels or national TV. If the Cowboys are playing on your local Fox affiliate, Sunday Ticket will actually black it out on their app. You’d still need a way to get Fox. It’s a weird "gap" system that catches people off guard every September.
Why an antenna is still the MVP
People forget about antennas. It's weird. We live in this high-tech world, yet a $30 piece of plastic from Amazon can often deliver a crisper 1080p (or even 4K in some markets) signal than a compressed stream.
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If you live in a city or a nearby suburb, an over-the-air (OTA) antenna is the cheapest way to handle how to watch all NFL games without cable. You get CBS, Fox, and NBC for free. Forever. No monthly fee. No login. Just the game.
Check a site like FCC.gov or AntennaWeb first. If you’re tucked behind a mountain or living in a basement, this won’t work. But for 80% of fans, this solves the "local game" problem instantly.
Sorting through the streaming fractured landscape
Amazon Prime Video owns Thursday Night Football. That’s just the world we live in now. If you don't have Prime, you aren't watching Thursday games unless you're in the local markets of the two teams playing (where it usually airs on a local station).
Then there’s Peacock. NBC has been aggressive lately, even putting exclusive playoff games behind the Peacock paywall. If the Sunday Night Football game is a "Peacock Exclusive," your antenna won't help you. You need the app.
ESPN+ is another one. Most Monday Night Football games air on the main ESPN cable channel. If you're going cable-free, you usually need a "Live TV" streamer like Fubo, Sling, or Hulu + Live TV to get ESPN. Sometimes—not always—the game is simulcast on ESPN+, but relying on that is a gamble.
Is NFL+ actually worth the money?
NFL+ is the league's own app. It's... complicated.
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For a few bucks a month, you can watch live local and primetime games. The "but" is huge here: you can only watch them on a phone or a tablet. You can't cast it to your TV. It’s perfect if you’re stuck at a wedding or working a Sunday shift. It sucks if you want to sit on your couch with a beer.
However, the "Premium" version of NFL+ gives you full game replays right after the live broadcast ends. If you’re the kind of person who can stay off social media and watch a "tape delayed" game at 8:00 PM, this is the most cost-effective way to see everything. It also includes All-22 film, which is great if you’re a total football nerd who likes to see what the safeties are doing.
Breaking down the best "Cable Replacement" services
If you want the "real" TV experience without the contract, you're looking at the Big Four: Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling.
- YouTube TV: Generally considered the best for sports. The "Key Plays" feature lets you catch up on a game by watching a quick highlight reel of everything you missed before jumping into the live action.
- Fubo: This started as a soccer-first platform, but they have more sports channels than almost anyone. If you want the NFL RedZone channel—which is essential for fantasy players—it's usually an easy add-on here.
- Sling TV: The budget pick. It’s cheaper, but there’s a massive hole: they don't carry CBS in most places. Since CBS carries the AFC, that’s a dealbreaker for many. You’d have to pair Sling with an antenna or a Paramount+ subscription to see the Chiefs or the Bills.
- Hulu + Live TV: It’s a decent middle ground, especially because it bundles in Disney+ and ESPN+.
Dealing with the "In-Market" headache
Let's say you live in New York. You want to see the Giants. The game is on Fox.
If you don't have an antenna and you don't want to pay $75 for YouTube TV, you can subscribe to Paramount+ (for CBS games) and Peacock (for NBC games). But Fox doesn't have a standalone "live game" streaming app for cord-cutters yet. You still need a provider login for the Fox Sports app. This is the biggest hurdle in learning how to watch all NFL games without cable.
There’s no "Fox+" yet. Until there is, an antenna or a live TV streamer remains mandatory for Fox Sunday games.
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The RedZone factor
Scott Hanson is a national treasure. Seven hours of commercial-free football. If you haven't watched RedZone, you haven't lived.
Most streaming services offer RedZone as part of a "Sports Extra" package. It’s usually an extra $10 or $15 a month. If you're a casual fan, you probably don't need it. If you're in three different fantasy leagues, it's non-negotiable.
A realistic budget for the "All-In" fan
If you truly want every single game in 2026, here is what your bank account is looking like:
- The "Base" (Local Games): An antenna (Free after initial $30 cost) OR a Live TV streamer ($75/month).
- The "Out-of-Market" (Sunday Ticket): Roughly $350–$450 per season.
- Thursday Nights: Amazon Prime ($15/month or $139/year).
- The Occasional Exclusive: Peacock/Paramount+ ($6–$12/month).
It adds up. But compared to a $220/month Comcast or Spectrum bill filled with "regional sports fees" and "broadcast TV surcharges," you're still coming out ahead. Plus, you can cancel these apps the second the Super Bowl ends. Try doing that with a two-year cable contract.
A note on "Grey Market" streams
We’ve all seen the links on Reddit or Twitter. They’re tempting. They’re also laggy, filled with malware-laden pop-ups, and usually crash right when someone is on the five-yard line.
More importantly, the NFL has been getting much faster at sending DMCA takedowns. Relying on a shady stream for your Sunday afternoon is a recipe for frustration. It’s better to pick one or two legal methods and stick with them.
Actionable steps to get ready for kickoff
Don't wait until Sunday at 12:45 PM to figure this out. The apps will lag, your Wi-Fi will act up, and you'll miss the opening drive.
- Test your signal today: Buy a cheap flat antenna and plug it into your TV. Run a "Channel Scan" in your settings. If you get Fox, CBS, and NBC clearly, you just saved yourself $800 a year.
- Audit your subscriptions: Check if you already have Amazon Prime or if your cell phone provider (like Verizon or T-Mobile) offers free Hulu, Disney+, or Netflix. Sometimes these bundles include the "Live" versions or discounts on Sunday Ticket.
- Pick your "Core" service: If the antenna fails, sign up for a free trial of YouTube TV or Fubo a week before the season starts. See which interface you like better.
- Download the apps: Put the NFL app, the Yahoo Sports app (which sometimes has free local streams on mobile), and your specific streamer on your smart TV or Roku ahead of time.
- Watch the calendar: Many services like Sunday Ticket offer "Early Bird" pricing in the spring and summer. If you know you're going to buy it, don't wait until September to pay the full "procrastinator" price.
The goal isn't just to watch football; it's to watch it without the "cable tax." It takes a little bit of legwork to set up the "Frankenstein" system of an antenna plus a couple of apps, but once the whistle blows, you won't care about the plumbing—you’ll just care about the score.