Despite playing without a bubble during the fall and winter of an unprecedented pandemic, the NFL has somehow made it to the playoffs. COVID-19 outbreaks on multiple teams caused postponements and shuffled schedules earlier in the season, but the league muddled through. It wasn’t always pretty — see the Broncos’ quarterback-less game against the Saints for a refresher — but 17 weeks of regular season football has finally concluded.
The NFL playoffs begin with Wild Card Weekend, which features three games on Saturday and three more on Sunday. Opening Saturday’s action will be the Colts visiting the Bills in Buffalo at 1:05 p.m. ET (10:05 a.m. PT) on CBS, followed by the Rams heading to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at 4:40 p.m. ET (1:40 p.m. PT) on Fox.
Closing out Saturday’s fun will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the NFC East-champion Washington Football Team at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT) on NBC.
Here’s how you can watch all the action live without cable.
Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
What is the playoff schedule this weekend?
Here’s the schedule for the whole weekend.
Saturday, Jan. 9:
- Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills, 1:05 p.m. ET (10:05 a.m. PT) on CBS
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:40 p.m. ET (1:40 p.m. PT) on Fox
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team, 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT) on NBC
Sunday, Jan. 10:
- Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:05 p.m. ET (10:05 a.m. PT) on ESPN
- Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints, 4:40 p.m. ET (1:40 p.m. PT) on CBS
- Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT) on NBC
While those are the main channels, there are a few other options for the Sunday games. The Ravens/Titans game will also air on ABC, while the Browns/Steelers nightcap will be available to stream on Peacock so long as you signup for a Peacock Free plan.
The Bears/Saints game on CBS, meanwhile, will also stream on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch with a version of the broadcast tailored for kids airing simultaneously on Nickelodeon.
How can I watch the NFL without cable?
You can stream the NFL regular season, no cable required, on any live-TV streaming service that carries channels with live games. Numerous such services offer broadcast networks like CBS, NBC and Fox as well as ESPN and the NFL Network. Exact channels may also vary based on where you live, but the best services for NFL fans are YouTube TV and FuboTV.
Those looking for Nickelodeon will need YouTube TV, FuboTV or AT&T TV as the channel is not available on Hulu Plus Live TV or Sling TV.
Read more: NFL streaming: Best ways to watch the 2020 football season live without cable
YouTube TV
Offers all available NFL channels
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes all the channels NFL fans need: CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
FuboTV
Offers all available NFL channels
FuboTV costs $65 a month for its Family plan and includes CBS, Fox and NBC plus ESPN and the NFL Network. Click here to see which local channels you get.
Hulu Plus Live TV
Offers CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $65 a month and includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. The NFL Network is not available from this service.
AT&T TV
Offers CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN
AT&T TV’s basic, $60-a-month Plus package includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live.
Sling TV
It’s complicated, but Sling offers Fox, NBC, NFL Network and ESPN
Sling TV splits its live NFL options across its $30-a-month Blue plan and $30-a-month Orange plan, which forces NFL fans into a tricky choice or encourages them to spring for both at $45 a month. Sling Blue includes the NFL Network, NBC and Fox while Sling Orange includes ESPN.
Sling TV doesn’t offer CBS, but its packages are discounted by $10 for the first month. Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live.
CBS All Access
Offers CBS
CBS All Access costs $6 per month and will let you watch the games being broadcast on your local CBS station on Sundays if you live in one of these 206 markets where the service offers live TV. It makes for a good add-on for Sling TV subscribers, who don’t get CBS.
All of the services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.
Amazon Prime Video and Twitch will carry a single playoff game, the Jan. 10 AFC Wild Card playoff game, which also airs on CBS.
Finally, cord-cutters can receive free local CBS, Fox and NBC broadcasts using an over-the-air antenna.
When did the NFL season start?
The NFL regular season began on Thursday, Sept. 10, with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs.
Where are games being played?
Teams play their games as scheduled in their respective home stadiums.
Are fans allowed in?
Some teams allow fans and some do not.
The Chiefs, for example, hosted their home opener on Sept. 10 with 15,895 fans in attendance, 21% of Arrowhead’s capacity.
Other teams, including the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears, hosted their respective home openers without fans in the stands in Week 2. This so far has been a team-by-team, city-by-city situation subject to change throughout the season.
What happened to the preseason?
The NFL canceled the entire 2020 preseason in July, with teams focusing on doing their own training camps to prepare for the upcoming season.
Which players are sitting out?
Like in other sports, a fair number of NFL players opted out of the 2020 season. Here are a few of the notable players not participating this year, with a larger list available at ESPN:
- Patrick Chung, S, New England Patriots
- Dont’a Hightower, LB, New England Patriots
- Marqise Lee, WR, New England Patriots
- Marquise Goodwin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
- Devin Funchess, WR, Green Bay Packers
- Geronimo Allison, WR, Detroit Lions
- C.J. Mosley, LB, New York Jets
- Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants
- Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs