If you’re a diehard NFL fan, nothing is better than those first signs of Fall approaching because with it comes the beginning of football. During the offseason, players were picked up, tossed out, and shuffled around to create the best teams possible. With all the changes, each season brings a new opportunity for your hometown favorite to win. If you’re one of those fans with a deep appreciation for the game, you’ll probably spend the entire day watching the NFL when they air multiple games on Sundays. Who can blame you? There isn’t anything wrong with a house filled with the sounds of football!
If your goal is to watch football you don’t need cable. In fact, your secret weapon is an HDTV antenna as this will provide most of the NFL season games to you for free! Entire guides on how to watch the NFL without cable have been created, but the foundation of any cord cutting arsenal is always going to be a good digital antenna.
Even though the preseason games are over and the regular season action is beginning, it’s worth mentioning that you can use your antenna to watch preseason games as well, while local streaming was blacked out, making the TV antenna the superior choice for NFL fans.
As with preseason, most of these games will air on local channels and ESPN. The games on ESPN are usually simulcast on the local networks, which bodes well for antenna-users that aren’t interested in adding extra streaming services to their lineup.
Use your HDTV Antenna to Watch Football all Weekend
Football goes on all weekend. The NFL specifically has games on Thursday and Monday nights and all-day Sunday. Thursday’s game airs on FOX and is simulcast live on Amazon Prime, for those who are too remote and can’t get TV signals with an antenna..
Monday night’s games air on ESPN, but they are often simulcast on a local channel for the team in your area. However, to watch other Monday Night Football games, you’ll have to find an ESPN live stream.
On Sunday, games air the whole day on CBS and FOX in the afternoon and NBC at night. Of course, if you receive these channels with your antenna that means you won’t have to pay to watch it anywhere else.
For the majority of the season, aTV antenna should get you through just fine without having to pay. That said, if you want to watch on-the-go you can download the NFL mobile app to your phone and pick up free local games throughout the season. This option is limited to watching the games through the app on your smartphone or tablet. Of course, if you’re not at home or you cannot receive TV signals for the local channel, this is the best free app option to use along with your TV antenna.
Try some Free Streaming Trials to Round Out Your Viewing Experience
There will be times when you won’t be able to watch your favorite team using your TV antenna. This isn’t a huge problem for cord cutters because there are so many streaming services available that do provide the channels you need to watch. If you’re looking to just watch the NFL, it might be wise to bounce from free trial to free trial over the course of the season. This will allow you to watch the games you want and not have to pay for a service you aren’t interested in keeping. Even if you decide you want to diversify your TV viewing experience and add in a streaming service with your TV antenna, using the free trials will allow you to find the one most suited to your needs.
Some Streaming Options
If you want sports content, a good option is a fuboTV subscription. However, the downside to fuboTV is that they don’t offer ESPN, however they do offer a lot of international sports content, if you’re interested. Hulu Live and YouTube TV are both available and include ESPN and a variety of other networks with their free trial. With either of these services and an HDTV antenna you’d be set for the season. DIRECTV NOW is an option comparable to Hulu TV and they are available for the same price.
PlayStation Vue offers a 5-day trial and a similar channel option, but they are pricier than the other services listed. If you want a budget option, you can get Sling TV which will include the channels you need at the lowest price of all of the services mentioned here. They have less local content, but with your TV antenna you may not need that anyway.
There is no reason why an NFL fan shouldn’t be able to watch their favorite team the whole season long with a TV antenna, the NFL mobile app, and the occasional help from a streaming service. Enjoy watching all the games!