We are only a few weeks away from the start of the 2018 NFL pre-season. What is even better is the fact that you do not need to pay the high cost of cable with long-term contracts to enjoy it.

The NFL is our most requested sport when it comes to how to watch sports without cable TV. The good news is with an antenna 90% of Americans will be able to access their local CBS, FOX, and NBC stations. Add in a streaming service, such as Sling TV or PlayStation Vue, for ESPN and the NFL Network and you have the same coverage your local cable TV company can give you.

Step #1: CBS, FOX, and NBC

In 2018 most NFL games will be aired free over the air on CBS, FOX, and NBC. The best part is many of the biggest games every week will be free over the air.

If you have the option, an antenna is always the best way to watch football to avoid the delay or the risk of the stream crashing out. Streaming is great, but you will find a 30-second or so delay on average. Sometimes more if you are seeing a lot of buffering.

If you need an antenna or want to see what channels you can get where you live, check out Antenna Web.

Over 90% of Americans have access to some or all of these channels; however, that still leaves 30 million Americans who struggle to get one network or another over the air. Or if you just want it on your Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV you should check out a live TV streaming service.

Right now a growing number of services, such as DIRECTV NOW, Hulu, and PlayStation Vue, all offer locals and this year will even stream local NFL games on your phone! We recommend you check out each site to see what locals each offers in your area. (CBS All Access now streams in-market Sunday games through its streaming service.)

You can also watch Thursday night games from FOX on Amazon Prime this year. You will need to be an Amazon Prime member to watch them. (Unless you use an antenna.)

Step #2 NFL Network Thursday Night & ESPN Monday Night Football

An antenna won’t give you every game, because some Thursday night and all Monday night games air on a cable network. The good news is Sling TV and PlayStation Vue have you covered. What makes it even better is the fact that you don’t need a two-year contract. You can just pay for them when you want to watch football and cancel when your season is over.

At this time only two live TV streaming services offer both ESPN and the NFL Network: PlayStation Vue and Sling TV. They both offer a free trial so you can test them out before you pay.

*Note: fuboTV also has the NFL Network but not ESPN.

Bonus NFL RedZone

NFL RedZone allows you to bounce around from game to game so you never miss the biggest plays happening at that moment. Both Sling TV and PlayStation Vue offer it as an add-on to their streaming services.

With Sling TV it is part of the sport add-on for $10 a month.

PlayStation Vue now includes the NFL RedZone as part of its $10 a month sports add-on.

Step #3 Enjoy Some Football

There you have it…. You now have the same access to the NFL that you would get if you paid for cable TV.

Did you know we now have a FREE app for iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire? Click HERE to download our app.

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