Alright, folks. The NFL kicks off tonight and the good news is that it is super cord cutter friendly. Like most NFL games, the contest between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs will open on a major broadcast network, NBC. That means whether you have cable, a live streaming service like Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV etc or nothing more than an antenna, maybe a paperclip.
But just in case you need a guide we are happy to fill you in on how to check out the opening game of the NFL. For future refference we have a new page just on the subject of the NFL without cable.
As has been said the game is on NBC. That means that one way or another you will need to get access to the network.
Antenna
The free way to do so is available to anybody capable of receiving over-the-air signals via an antenna. If you don’t have one already it might be a bit much to run out and get one right now just for a Thursday night game you probably won’t make it through. I stand by the idea of mounted outdoor antennas as the highest quality performing type, but again, that is not something you can get done in the next few hours. But if you have one or have a minute to take a quick trip to a big box store you might be surprised what you find when you scan your channels. Want to see what you will get check out the tool at the bottom of our antenna page.
Paid Services
Pennies on the dollar
We will start with the cheapest one. Peacock. For $4.99 viewers will get access to NBC Sports NFL coverage streamed through the app. Users will not see the same commercials that would be found on TV. In some situations, they may only see a logo with a we will be back message. That can be galling for some, but you can’t beat the price, except with an antenna. If you $9.99 you will get a feed of your local NBC affiliate along with commercial-free access to Peacock programming
Premium Priced Solutions
Next down the line is a huge jump in price which is the cable replacement services. Those would include Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream. Those services start at $65.99 on the low end and go up from there. They will all give you NBC and a whole lot more. But if you are a cord cutting home it may seem all too familiar once you dive in.
