How to Watch the NFL Without Cable in 2023: Cut Cords & Go Online

As the NFL preseason comes to an end, football fans are ready for the meat-and-potatoes 2022 NFL season. If you’re a cord-cutter ready for everything from first downs to touchdowns, you still have plenty of alternatives to watch the NFL.

This guide will show you how to watch the NFL live stream online, plus how to bypass blackout dates in your region by using a VPN.

Key Takeaways:

• The NFL Game Pass International is the best option for watching every NFL game, but it’s only available outside of the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
• If you’re a cord-cutter who wants to watch the NFL, you can also get the games on streaming platforms like fuboTV or YouTube TV, in addition to NFL+.
• Many NFL live stream options are only available in the U.S., and some have regional blackouts, but a good streaming VPN like ExpressVPN can help you get around geoblocks.

If you’re in another country and not able to access the service that you want, using a good streaming VPN will help you access all platforms. We’ll give you all the dirt on ways to stream all things NFL, from regular season games to out-of-market games. Now, are you ready for some football?

• What Is the Best Way to Watch NFL Games Without Cable?

  The best way to watch the NFL is by purchasing the NFL Game Pass International. You can watch every NFL game there is and it costs less than investing in a streaming service. However, it’s not available in the U.S., Canada or the U.K., so you’ll need to use a VPN and connect to another country to access it.

• How Do I Watch NFL Games?

  You can watch the regular season games on services like fuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Peacock Premium or on NFL.com, among others. A lot of these platforms are available only in the U.S., and some have regional blackouts, but you can use a VPN to access them wherever you are.

• Is There a Streaming Service for NFL Games?

  NFL+ is the official NFL-owned streaming service for watching NFL games. However, you can also enjoy NFL on other services like fuboTV and YouTube TV. If a service isn’t available in your location, you can use a VPN to bypass the platform’s geoblocks.

ReviewVisit ExpressVPN 30-days money-back guarantee

How to Watch NFL Live Stream Games

The NFL’s new streaming service, NFL+, has taken over the NFL Game pass in the U.S. It’s a pretty cheap option, starting at just $4.99 per month or $29.99 for one year. However, you can only watch live games from one market and you can’t watch them on a laptop or TV — only on a mobile device.

You can use the NFL+ seven-day free trial if you want to try it out.

With that in mind, the NFL Game Pass International is a much better value if you want to watch every NFL game and avoid blackout dates. It’s not available in the U.S., Canada or the U.K., though, so you’ll need to use a VPN to connect to a country where it is available. 

The NFL Game Pass International costs $86.99 a year and offers the entire current NFL season. NFL Game Pass International also has a seven-day free trial if you want to see if it’s worth the money. 

Watching Without an NFL Game Pass

If you don’t mind splurging a little, you can stream live NFL games on the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket channel, but DirecTV costs $69.99 a month. 

You can also watch NFL games live on streaming services like fuboTV and YouTube TV, both of which cost around $69.99 a month. You can also watch the NFL on Sling TV’s Orange and Blue plans, which cost $35 each or $50 for a combo purchase.

If you’re on a tight budget but want to watch games on one of the live TV streaming services, your most pocket-friendly options are Paramount+ Premium, Amazon Prime Video and Peacock Premium. If you’re not in the U.S., however, you won’t have access to a lot of these services. You can still use a VPN to get access to these services, of course.

How to Watch Live NFL Games With a VPN

There are many reasons why you need a VPN to enjoy live NFL streams:

• Avoiding regional blackouts.
• Viewing U.S.-only streaming services from abroad.
• Signing up for the NFL Game Pass International if you live in the U.S., Canada or the U.K.

If you haven’t used a VPN before, we’ll walk you through three simple steps so you can enjoy watching your local NFL team play football.

1. Download and Install the VPN

   Your first step is to sign up with a VPN service provider — we recommend ExpressVPN. Once you’ve done that, download and install the VPN app on your device.

   

2. Connect to a Server Outside the U.S.

   Since the NFL Game Pass International is not available in the U.S., Canada or the U.K., you’ll need to connect to a server in another country. When you launch the VPN app, you’ll see a list of locations. Choose a server outside the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. For this example, we’ll connect to a server in Bolivia.

   

3. Purchase the NFL Game Pass International

   Go to the NFL Game Pass website and click “start 7-day free trial” on the Pro plan. Go through the steps to create an account. You may need to provide a local postcode of the country you’re connected to, but you can find one on Google.

   

4. Start Streaming the NFL live Stream

   Once you’ve signed up, you can start streaming NFL games online. Just remember to connect to a server outside of the U.S., Canada or the U.K. You don’t have to be connected to the same country in which you signed up, though.

   

The 3 Best VPNs to Stream NFL Games

The best streaming VPNs offer blazing-fast connection speeds, unlimited bandwidth and the ability to bypass geoblocks.

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is our best streaming VPN, which is the main reason it’s sitting at the top for NFL live streams. Its speeds are fast, providing a smooth streaming experience, and it has a large server spread so you can sign up for different streaming services with ease. 

You’ll be protected by strong security while you stream, and you won’t have a problem navigating your way around the app. ExpressVPN is expensive and although you can bring the price down with a longer plan, it’s still pricier than other options. Still, it does have a 30-day money-back guarantee you can use.

ExpressVPN Plans

• Unlimited GB
• 5
• Yes

30-days money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$12.95/month

6-months plan

$9.99/month

$59.94 billed every 6 month

Save 22%

15-months plan

$6.66/month

$99.95 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 48%

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is another great choice and it’s almost on par with ExpressVPN, only losing out by its slightly more difficult mobile UI. Other than that, it has the fastest VPN speeds and can unblock streaming services with ease. You’ll also benefit from its top-notch security.

It has a much larger server count than ExpressVPN, though it doesn’t cover quite so many countries. You still have enough options around the world, though. NordVPN is a more affordable option to ExpressVPN, and there’s a 30-day refund period in case you don’t like it.

30-days money-back guarantee

Standard

• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan

$11.99/month

1-year plan

$4.99/month

$59.88 billed every year

Save 58%

2-year plan

$3.49/month

$83.76 billed every 2 years

Save 70%

Plus

• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan

$12.99/month

1-year plan

$5.99/month

$71.88 billed every year

Save 53%

2-year plan

$5.19/month

$124.56 billed every 2 years

Save 60%

Complete

• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan

$14.49/month

1-year plan

$7.49/month

$89.88 billed every year

Save 48%

2-year plan

$6.69/month

$160.56 billed every 2 years

Save 53%

3. Windscribe

Windscribe is our last recommendation, but you still benefit from strong security, decent speeds and the capability of unblocking streaming services. What’s different here is that you have the option of a free or paid plan.

The free plan is limited, but you have access to servers in 10 countries — including inside and outside the U.S. It also comes with a limited monthly data allowance. You get 2GB from the get-go, and you can increase it to 10GB once you’ve verified your email address. You can earn a further 5GB if you tweet about it — totaling 15GB per month.

If that’s not enough to satisfy your NFL needs, you can opt for Windscribe’s full-access paid plan at $5.75 per month, or its build-a-plan option with a minimum cost of $3 per month. With the latter, you can get server locations for $1 each per month and the option of unlimited data for $1 per month. It only has a three-day money-back guarantee, though.

3-days money-back guarantee

Free

• Up to 15 GB free with email confirmation and Tweet
• 15GB
• Unlimited

FREE

Pro Plan

• Unlimited GB
• Unlimited
• Yes

1-month plan

$9/month

1-year plan

$5.75/month

$69 billed every year

Save 36%

ReviewVisit ExpressVPN 30-days money-back guarantee

How to Watch Thursday Night Football

From September 15, Amazon Prime Video will be the new home of Thursday night football (TNF). Amazon has the exclusive rights, so you’ll need an Amazon Prime Video account to watch it. There is a 30-day free trial available.

How to Watch Monday Night Football

Monday night football will be broadcast on ESPN and you can watch all Monday night games on ESPN.com or the ESPN app with a pay TV subscription. Read our guides on how to watch ESPN anywhere without cable and how to bypass ESPN blackouts. You can also watch any Monday night football game on fuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

How to Watch Sunday Night Football

Sunday night games are broadcast on NBC, but you can also watch a Sunday night football matchup on your phone with the NBC Sports or NFL App (if you have cable subscription). If you want to stream live games on a bigger screen, you will need one of the following live TV streaming services: Peacock, fuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV or YouTube TV.

NFL Live Stream Options in the U.S.

Watch NFL Games With NFL Game Pass International

This is the best option if you want access to every NFL game without restrictions. It costs $87 for the entire season and there’s a free seven-day trial. You also get access to NFL RedZone, Coaches film, game replays and other NFL content.

However, you need to use a VPN to sign up if you’re in the U.S., U.K. or Canada.

Watch NFL Games on NFL+

NFL+ costs just $5 per month. It’s a good option if you want to follow your favorite team, but it’s not a complete answer to watching all the NFL games. You get access to all national games and you also have access to live audio for all NFL games. The downside is that you can only stream live games on a mobile device.

You can use the free seven-day trial to see if you like it, though.

Watch NFL Games on fuboTV

fuboTV offers channels like ESPN, NBC, Fox and CBS where you can stream games and watch the Super Bowl. There’s a seven-day free trial, but keep in mind that it may be subject to blackout dates and requires a U.S. payment method. 

FuboTV also offers a package inclusive of NFL RedZone where you can stream Sunday afternoon NFL games 1 p.m. through 8 p.m. (Eastern Time). 

Watch NFL Games on YouTube TV

YouTube TV has the most extensive range of RSNs. All four major networks (ESPN, CBS, Fox and NBC) are available, so you can stream local market games. 

The package also includes NFL Network and you can also add on NFL RedZone for an extra cost. You may come across regional blackouts, but it’s a good option if you need to pay with a non-U.S. credit card through Google Pay.

Watch NFL Games on Hulu

Hulu+ Live TV subscribers have access to ESPN, NBC, Fox and CBS to watch both local market and national games, as well as the NFL Network. You can also add NFL RedZone for an extra cost, so it’s similar to YouTube TV in terms of pricing and channels for football fans.

Watch NFL Games on Sling TV

Sling TV has all but one channel: CBS. If you don’t mind passing on the local market games, Sling TV should be good. However, to get access to all remaining channels (Fox, ESPN, NBC and NFL Network), you need to buy both Orange and Blue plans. It may be subject to regional blackouts and you also need a U.S. payment method.

Watch NFL Games on DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers NFL Sunday Ticket, which is a sports package that offers the only way to watch all out-of-market games in the U.S. You can watch all Sunday afternoon regional games that air on CBS and Fox. 

DirecTV Stream has a seven-day free trial and its cheaper “choice” package costs $70 per month after that. If you want NFL RedZone, you’ll need to go for the pricer “max” package. Not that you might still suffer from regional blackouts and it only accepts U.S. payment methods. NFL Sunday Ticket is available on a few other streaming services, such as DAZN.

Watch NFL Games on DAZN

DAZN is a Canadian streaming service, so you’ll need a Canadian credit card to sign up. It has the same features as NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV Stream, but it’s much more wallet-friendly at just $25 CAD per month. Another bonus is that it includes NFL RedZone and there’s a free 30-day trial available.

Watch NFL Games on Peacock

Peacock Premium subscribers can view all Sunday night football games and any other NFL game that’s broadcasted on NBC. In 2021, Peacock aired its Sunday Night Football Final, an exclusive post-game show available for Peacock subscribers throughout the 2021 season.

We’ve yet to see if the same will happen this season, though.

Watch NFL Games on Paramount Plus

NFL games that air on CBS will be available on Paramount Plus, but they are regionalized. CBS is key to watching the NFL on Paramount+; that’s where you’ll see all the regional AFC games — depending on your region, of course. 

It’s not NFL Sunday Ticket, so you can’t watch any game you want, but it’s still something at $5 per month (check out our guide on how to watch Paramount Plus).

Watch NFL Games on Amazon Prime Video

You can watch Thursday night football exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. You won’t have access to any local channels or NFL Network, though.

Is There an NFL Live Stream Free Online Option?

Unfortunately, no, there’s no free options for streaming the NFL online. Many streaming services offer a free trial, but most of those options are only available in the U.S. 

If you’re not in the United States, you’ll need a VPN to bypass the app’s geoblocks. The free trial, plus the 30-day money-back guarantee that many VPNs offer, means you can essentially watch the NFL for free, but it won’t get you through the entire season.

Final Thoughts: Stream NFL Games

Whether you want to watch Sunday night football games or sip on a cold beer as you watch the crowd go wild, most NFL games are available on streaming services. If you want to watch NFL RedZone, several streaming platforms will allow you to add NFL RedZone and get streaming access to Sunday afternoon games.

The only caveat is that if you’re not in the U.S., you may not have access to all streaming platforms. However, you can simply use a VPN to bypass the geoblocks. Our top VPN recommendation is ExpressVPN, but NordVPN and Windscribe are also excellent options for NFL live streams.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to watching NFL live streams online. At the end of the 2022 season and before the next preseason, don’t forget to tune in to see how to watch the NFL draft online. 

During the NFL off-season, you can watch other sports such as the Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Frenc Open, PGA tour and more.

How do you watch live football games? Do you know of other ways to stream the NFL online? Did you have to use a VPN to access the platform? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading!