You can watch NFL games in 2025–26 through a mix of traditional TV channels, live TV streamers, league-specific services, and antennas, depending on how many games you want and your budget.

Quick Scoop: Main Ways to Watch

  • Local and national TV channels (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network).
  • Live TV streaming services that carry those channels.
  • Prime Video and Peacock for exclusive games (especially Thursday and select special games).
  • NFL+ for in-market games on mobile and full replays.
  • YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
  • A simple over-the-air antenna for free local broadcasts in many cities.

Where to Watch NFL Games (By Type of Game)

1. Regular Sunday Afternoon Games

Most Sunday afternoon games are on CBS and FOX, split by conference and region.

You can watch them via:

  • Traditional cable/satellite with CBS and FOX in your package.
  • Live TV streaming services that carry local CBS/FOX in your area (examples commonly include YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, etc.; availability varies by market).
  • Paramount+ for games airing on CBS (live in many markets).
  • An over-the-air antenna for free CBS and FOX if you’re close enough to broadcast towers.

2. Primetime Games (Night Games)

  • Sunday Night Football : NBC; streams on Peacock in supported regions.
  • Monday Night Football : ESPN, often simulcast on ABC; streams through the ESPN apps or ESPN+ depending on rights that week.
  • Thursday Night Football : Exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for most of the season.

You can get these:

  • Through a pay-TV bundle that includes NBC, ESPN, ABC.
  • Through live TV streamers that carry those channels in your area.
  • Via Prime Video (subscription required) for Thursday games.

3. Playoffs and Super Bowl

Playoff games typically stay on the big broadcast networks (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC/ESPN), with some games simulcast to their streaming counterparts.

  • CBS games → stream on Paramount+.
  • FOX games → stream on FOX’s authenticated apps or new branded streaming offerings (sometimes marketed as FOX streaming services).
  • NBC games (including some recent Super Bowls) → stream on Peacock.
  • ESPN/ABC games → stream within the ESPN app or ESPN-branded streaming service.

If You Want Every Game

If you’re trying to see as many games as possible each week (including out-of- market teams), you usually need a combo.

Typical “max coverage” stack:

  1. Live TV streaming or cable
    • Must include: CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and ideally NFL Network.
 * This covers local Sunday games, SNF, MNF, some TNF simulcasts, and many playoff games.
  1. Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games
    • NFL Sunday Ticket (currently sold as a premium add‑on through a major streaming provider like YouTube TV, subject to league deals in your region) for all out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
  1. League apps and replays
    • NFL+ (mobile/tablet focused) lets you watch local and primetime games live on mobile and replays for all games on demand, which is handy if you can’t sit for full slates live.
  1. Extras
    • RedZone-type channels are often add-ons through live TV services, letting you follow every scoring play instead of a single broadcast.

Cheapest / Simple Setups (Examples)

These are just examples of strategies; availability and pricing depend on where you live.

  • Budget local fan
    • Over-the-air antenna for CBS/FOX/NBC/ABC, plus NFL+ for mobile viewing and replays.
* Pros: Low monthly cost after buying the antenna.
* Cons: No out-of-market games live on TV, reception can vary.
  • Cord-cutter who wants most games but not literally every one
    • A single live TV streaming service with local channels + Prime Video + possibly Peacock for extra games.
* You’ll miss some out-of-market matchups but catch all national games, your local team, and playoffs.
  • Diehard out-of-market fan
    • Live TV streaming (for locals and primetime) + NFL Sunday Ticket (for other Sunday afternoon games) + league/club apps for replays and extras.

Reddit communities like r/NFLNoobs and r/cordcutters often share detailed yearly guides and user-tested setups, including tips for squeezing the most games out of the fewest subscriptions.

Mini Forum-Style Take

“Is it necessary to have both a live TV service and Sunday Ticket?”
A common answer from fan forums is: get a live TV option that covers your locals and primetime first, then only pay for Sunday Ticket if you truly care about multiple out-of-market Sunday games every week.

You’ll also see regular mentions of antennas, NFL+, and rotating monthly between services to save money, especially as streaming lineups and prices change each season.

HTML Table: Main Options

[1][5][7] [8][5][6][1] [3][7][1] [5][1][3] [1][3][5] [7][1] [6][8]
Option What it gets you Best for
Over-the-air antenna Local CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC games and many playoff/Super Bowl broadcasts, free after hardware.Local fan on a budget.
Live TV streaming (e.g., services that carry locals) Most Sunday afternoon games in your region, SNF, MNF (if ESPN/ABC included), some TNF simulcasts, playoffs.Cord-cutters who want “cable-like” coverage.
Prime Video Exclusive Thursday Night Football slate.Fans who care about TNF matchups.
Peacock Streams NBC Sunday night games and select exclusive NFL games, plus some playoff/Super Bowl years.SNF viewers and those chasing specific NBC games.
Paramount+ Live streaming of CBS NFL games in many markets.Fans whose team’s games often appear on CBS.
NFL+ Local and primetime games live on mobile/tablet, plus full replays of all games on demand.Mobile viewers and replay addicts.
NFL Sunday Ticket (via supported provider) Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games (not primetime or playoffs).Diehards who follow multiple non-local teams.

TL;DR

If you just need where to watch NFL games today:

  • Look for them on CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, Prime Video, and select games on Peacock/Paramount+ depending on the matchup.
  • Decide if you’re okay with just your local games or if you need an out-of-market package like Sunday Ticket and/or NFL+ on top.

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