The New England Patriots faced the Miami Dolphins in their NFL regular-season finale on January 4, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. This high-stakes matchup saw the playoff-bound Patriots (13-3) aiming for the AFC's top seed against a Dolphins squad (7-9) looking to play spoiler with rookie QB Quinn Ewers under center.

Viewing Options

The game aired live on FOX at 4:25 p.m. ET, with Joe Davis on play-by- play, Greg Olsen providing color commentary, and Pam Oliver on the sideline. Local markets included Boston 25 (WFXT) for New England fans and WSVN-7 for South Florida viewers (Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe counties).

For streaming, top choices included:

  • FOX Sports App, FOXSports.com, or FOX NOW : Free with a 7-day trial or cable login.
  • DirecTV Stream : Free trial available; $89.99/month after ($35 off first month).
  • FuboTV : Free trial; $84.99/month after ($30 off first month)—ideal for out-of-market fans.
  • NFL+ : For mobile/tablet viewing, replays, and out-of-market access (7-day free trial).
  • Other services : NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube/YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV for broader coverage.

Service| Free Trial| Monthly Cost| Key Perk
---|---|---|---
DirecTV Stream 1| Yes| $89.99 ($35 off first)| Full FOX access
FuboTV 12| Yes| $84.99 ($30 off first)| Sports-focused
FOX Sports App 3| 7 days| Varies (cable login)| Official stream
NFL+ 2| 7 days| Varies| Mobile priority

Game Context

This clash capped Week 18, with the Patriots chasing a first-round bye if Denver slipped against the Chargers. Miami sought to snap a potential season sweep by New England (last done in 2016) amid QB transitions post-Tua Tagovailoa. Fan chatter on Reddit highlighted free stream hunts from afar, but official trials proved most reliable over sketchy links.

"The Patriots’ final regular-season game is set to be the most significant match of their season." – Associated Press via NJ.com

Since the game has passed (nearly a month ago as of January 31, 2026), check NFL+ , YouTube TV replays , or FOX Sports on-demand for highlights or full recaps. Trending forum buzz post-game focused on playoff implications and Maye's cool response to schedule critiques: "We play against whoever is on our schedule."

TL;DR : FOX broadcast/streamed live on Jan 4; use trials from Fubo/DirecTV/NFL+ for access—now replays only.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.