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NFL

How to watch Week 16 NFL games live online for free—and without cable

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
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By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 26, 2021, 8:00 AM ET

The day after Christmas is usually a fairly lazy affair. Those who celebrate are exhausted after the sprint to the finish. Those who don’t are generally enjoying the time off of work. But this year, Dec. 26 falls on a Sunday, meaning you’ve got a perfect excuse to sink into the couch and enjoy a day of NFL action.

It’s a reduced game schedule today because six teams have already competed this week. But there’s still no shortage of big matchups, including the annual face-off between long-time rivals Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Football Team, and a potential banger between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

The playoff situation is shaping up, making it more important for fans to pay attention, but family could still be in town, making it hard to be in front of a TV for the full extent of Sunday’s games. If that’s you, or if you’re not sure who’s playing when, we’ve got a look at the matchups—and several different options for viewing them.

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

Here’s a look at who’s playing who this week. (The home team is listed second.)

Sunday, Dec. 26

Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 a.m. ET on Fox

Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Charlotte Panthers, 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox

Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox

Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Washington Football Team vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC

Monday, Dec. 27

Miami Dolphins vs. New Orleans Saints, 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and select ABC and NBC stations

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

The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. And NFL games are one of the easiest to view, since they air on broadcast networks, meaning you’ll be able to watch even if you don’t have a cable subscription. To ensure you’re getting the most reliable signal, be sure to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home.

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

There are lots of ways…

Peacock

NBC’s streaming service will give you access to Sunday night games and others aired on that network. You can get a seven-day free trial, followed by a $5 or $10 monthly charge. (The free version of Peacock does not include live sports.)

Paramount+

CBS’s streaming service will give you access to games aired on that network. You can get a one-month free trial, followed by a $6 monthly charge.

Hulu with Live TV

You can try the service free for a week. Once that’s up, you’ll pay $65 per month.

YouTubeTV

After a two-week trial, you can expect monthly charges of $65.

Sling TV

Dish Network’s Sling lower tiered “Orange” plan will run you $35 per month. Adding the more comprehensive “Blue” plan bumps the cost to $50-per-month. You’ll have a seven-day free trial first. And right now, the cord cutting service is dropping the first month’s bill to $10.

AT&T TV

Formerly known as DirecTV Now and AT&T TVNow, AT&T’s streaming service will run you $70 per month and up. There is no longer a free trial option.

Disney+

Disney’s bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ can be enjoyed for free for seven days, after which you’ll pay $13.99 per month for all three combined

Fubo TV

This sports-focused cord cutting service carries broadcast networks in most markets. There’s a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $65 to $80, depending on the channels you choose.

Can I watch NFL games on Amazon?

Not anymore this year. The last game to stream on Amazon was on Christmas Day.

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

You’ve got a trio of options:

NFL App

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 for $73.49 per month or $293.36 for the entire season.

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About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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