How to Watch and Stream Week 5 NFL Games Live Online for Free—Without Cable

BYChris Morris

Before kickoff of week four of the NFL 2019 season, there were three undefeated teams in the NFC. By the time the week was over, only the San Francisco 49ers could make that claim. Meanwhile over in the AFC, the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs continue to dominate.

The Washington Redskins? Well, we’ll just continue to not talk about that.

That all makes the week five picks even harder to make. And finding the game that’s of interest to you isn’t always as easy as it should be.

Getting excited about this week’s NFL matchups, but your cable or satellite system is showing a game you don’t care about? Don’t feel like fighting for a seat at the neighborhood sports bar? Fortunately, there are alternatives. Here’s a look at who’s playing this week—and several different options for viewing games.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens reacts after a touchdown by Mark Ingram during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Photo by Joe Sargent—Getty Images

Which NFL teams are playing this week—and what channels are airing the games?

Things get a bit more fluid this week. Starting in week five, the NFL’s flexible scheduling goes into effect, meaning games originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon could be moved to Sunday night, so the most exciting game of the week could take place in prime time. Changes will be announced 12 days prior to kick off.

That said, here’s who’s playing this week. (The home team is listed second.)

Sunday, October 6

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Atlanta Falcons vs. Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC

Monday, October 7

Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN

You can always find a complete list of the games for the season at NFL.com

How can I watch my local NFL team for free—even if I am out of market?

The best way to watch any NFL game for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. Local and regional games are broadcast by CBS, NBC and Fox, meaning you’ve got a good chance of capturing the game over the air, which costs nothing beyond the equipment prices.

Be sure to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home to find the most reliable signal.

How can I stream NFL games live online if I don’t have a cable subscription?

There are loads of online options to watch NFL games, some completely free and others with free trial periods. If you’re not near a TV, you can log into Fox.com to watch the game or use the Fox Now app. CBS offers its All Access streaming service, which has a one week free trial, followed by a $6 monthly charge. And NBC’s Web site and apps will let you watch live programming on the go.

Another option? Yahoo Sports and the NFL have teamed to stream live NFL games on mobile devices this year. Just download the Yahoo Sports app or Yahoo Fantasy Football mobile app and watch all local and primetime games on phones and tablets.Prefer another method?

Here are a few that work just as well.

Locast.org: This free service lets you watch local broadcast channels with no monthly fees or contracts. The hiccup is: It only services part of the country.

PlayStation Vue: The free trial is 5 days. Subscription packages start at $50 per month.

Hulu with Live TV: You can try the service free for a week. Once that’s up, you’ll pay $45 per month.

YouTube TV: After a seven day trial, you can expect monthly charges of $50.

Fubo TV: This sports-focused cord cutting service carries CBS in most markets. There’s a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $55.

Can I watch NFL games on Amazon?

If you’ve got an Amazon Prime subscription, you can now catch a limited number of match-ups. The online retailer has struck a deal with NBC to air select Thursday night games from now through December 12 (Jets vs. Ravens). The next game will feature the New York Giants vs. New England Patriots.

All games will be featured in the Prime Video section. (If you don’t have Prime, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial.)

Does the NFL offer any viewing packages to watch the games I want?

Kind of. The NFL App will let you stream games that are being broadcast locally in your market on Sundays. If you want to watch an ‘out of market’ game, you’ve got two choices.

NFL Game Pass: There are couple hitches with this service. You can’t use it to watch live games, but you can watch anything once its main broadcast ends. There’s a seven day free trial, after which you’re looking at a $100 charge per season.

NFL Sunday Ticket: DirecTV customers have access to it, but if you’re not a subscriber and live in an area where it’s not available, you can watch any NFL game live, online or on TV $73.49 per month or $293.36 for the entire season.