How to watch the football game tonight

Last week’s Hall of Fame game was an appetizer. This week, the NFL really begins gearing up for the 2022-2023 season.

By the time the weekend is over, all 32 of the league’s teams will have played a pre-season game this week. And those games are being stretched out, too, letting fans watch more than just one or two. The Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants emerged victorious on Thursday, but there are still a lot of games left to see. Matchups are also set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week.

Of course, pre-season games are largely meaningless in the league’s grand scheme, but they are a chance for fans to see how draftees and new players mesh with the rest of the team. And they’re a good way to ease back into your football watching habits.

A quick reminder: While Amazon does have an exclusive deal to air Thursday night games, that doesn’t kick in until Sept. 15, so you’ll have to head to another network to catch that contest.

Here’s all the information you need to keep up with this week’s games.

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

After last week’s light schedule, the whole league will be on the gridiron this week. Here’s a look at who’s playing when and where. (The home team is listed second.)

Note that, as this is the pre-season, many games will not be carried nationally. NFL Network will, however, broadcast replays of games that aren’t aired live across the country.

Friday, Aug. 12

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions, 6:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox

New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Saturday, Aug. 13

Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Commanders, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Baltimore Colts vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS (channel will depend on location)

New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans, 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, NBC and CBS (channel will depend on location)

Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos, 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS (channel will depend on location)

Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC

Sunday, Aug. 14

Minnesota Vikings vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network

How can I watch NFL games 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 watching the preseason games is a snap, since it airs on a 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.

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

Yup—and there are plenty of options to do so.

Peacock

NBC’s streaming service will give you access to Thursday’s game. 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.

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

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 7-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.

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-$80, depending on the channels you choose.

Can I watch NFL pre-season games on Amazon?

You can’t. Pre-season games won’t air on Prime Video. But starting Sept. 15, it will be the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football.

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

It does.

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.

We have four suggestions for streaming all NFL games that are broadcast on television. And trust us, all four services are worth it if you don't want to miss every snap of your favorite team.

If you want all five channels that air NFL games, the NFL RedZone Channel, and access to watch all games on your smart TV, smartphone, and tablet, then you'll want one of the live TV streaming services.

We must warn you: no matter which service you get for streaming TV, only Amazon Prime Video has the rights to Thursday Night Football (besides Week 1). So jump down to Prime Video to order for the 2022 season.

YouTube TV is the best live TV streaming service for NFL fans because it's the only streaming service with all of the channels that broadcast NFL games: CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and NFL Network.

And it gets better. YouTube TV also lets you add the NFL RedZone Channel to your lineup for the season for $11 per month. If you don't know what the NFL RedZone Channel is, boy, you're in for a treat.

You'll get to watch the exciting red zone moments of every game during the Sunday morning and afternoon games. The NFL Red Zone Channel will jump to whichever team is inside the 20-yard line ready to score, and you'll also get to see replays of crazy great plays, like pick-6s, one-handed grabs, and Hail Marys.

You're going to want to find out more about the NFL RedZone Channel in our review and find out more about YouTube TV's DVR with unlimited storage space. You'll be able to record all (and I mean all) of the NFL games.

fuboTV carries the most sports channels compared to any TV provider on the market at 50, and it offers the NFL RedZone Channel as an add-on.

All three of fuboTV's plans have ESPN, FOX, NFL Network, and your local CBS or NBC channels. So you won't miss a Monday Night Football game airing on ABC and ESPN, or a Sunday Night Football game airing on CBS or NBC.

fuboTV offers the NFL RedZone Channel in its Sports Plus add-on for $11 per month, the same price as YouTube TV. But fuboTV's add-on includes 23 sports channels, while YouTube TV's includes only 14.

Check out our detailed review on fuboTV or find out why we named fuboTV the best streaming service for sports.

Hulu + Live TV has CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and this streaming service now has NFL Network and offers the NFL RedZone Channel. (We like this upgrade, Hulu.)

We must say Hulu Live is excellent for both fans of the National Football League and on-demand content. You're going to get access to most of the broadcast games, and you'll get a library full of Hulu's great Originals, TV shows, and movies.

Hulu comes in third because it's essentially $10 extra per month compared to YouTube TV if you want your on-demand content to be ad-free (sigh).

Find out more about Hulu + Live TV's user interface, new unlimited DVR storage, and plans in our full review.

DIRECTV STREAM has the CBS, ESPN, NBC, FOX, and NFL Network channels in its CHOICE package and above. (The ENTERTAINMENT entry-level plan doesn't have NFL Network.)

We should highlight that the CHOICE package ($90/month) is $20 more expensive than fuboTV's Pro plan, and Pro gives you 15 more channels and 250 hours of DVR storage space.

DIRECTV STREAM provides you with a 20-hour Cloud DVR storage, and that’s simply not enough for football season.

We recommend DIRECTV STREAM to sports fans who like a traditional TV feel or want premium channels in their lineup, but we think your money could be better spent with YouTube TV or fuboTV.

Take a look at our DIRECTV STREAM review to see if it’s the right service for you.

Which are the best internet providers?

If you need a new, faster internet provider for seamless streaming so your game doesn't freeze in the middle of a Hail Mary, you're going to want to check out our top internet providers.