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It is officially football season. While the NFL preseason certainly has its drawbacks, the next four weeks and 64 games will give us rookie debuts, breakout stars and intense battles to make the final 53-man rosters. For football diehards, even the lowest form of NFL is endlessly entertaining.
Preseason games can sometimes be weirdly elusive, so here’s a complete rundown on how to watch in-market and out-of-market games online without cable:
How to Watch In-Market Games Online
Games that are in your market will be televised locally on either Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, CW or MyTV, while there will also be some nationally televised games–which are considered in-market for everyone–on NFL Network, ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS. Also, NFL Network will air a replay of every preseason game.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch one, some or all of these channels (the local channels are live in select markets, which includes most NFL cities) on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV or other streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages. NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, MyTV (all live in select markets; view channels in your area) and ESPN are included in every bundle, while NFL Network is part of the upper three bundles. The CW is not available on Vue.
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch in-market (on channels that are available in your area) and nationally televised games live on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR, which means you could set it up to record the NFL Network’s replay of every preseason game.
NBC, CBS, Fox, CW (all live in select markets; view channels in your area) and NFL Network are among the 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports. ABC and ESPN are not available on Fubo.
You can start a free seven-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of in-market (on channels that are available in your area) and nationally televised games on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, so you could also use it to record the NFL Network’s replay of every preseason game. It also comes with a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch available games on-demand within three days of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS, CW (all live in select markets; view channels in your area) and ESPN. The NFL Network is not available on Hulu.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of in-market (on channels that are available in your area) and nationally televised games on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
If you’re just looking to watch games that are on CBS–Patriots (in Boston), Steelers (in Pittsburgh), Rams (in LA), Chiefs (in KC), Cowboys (in Dallas) and 49ers (in SF) games will be televised on local CBS channels–and don’t need any other channels, then Amazon Prime’s CBS channel is a great option.
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all live and on-demand CBS content via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of in-market and nationally televised CBS games on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
How to Watch Out-of-Market Games Online
You can watch every out-of-market preseason NFL game online via NFL Game Pass, which costs $99.99 for the season (or you can pay four installments of $29.99). You’ll also be able to watch replays of preseason and regular season games several hours after their conclusion.
You can start a free trial of NFL Game Pass right here, and you can then watch out-of-market games live on your computer via the Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL app.
How to Watch NFL Games in Canada
Viewers in Canada can watch every preseason, regular season and postseason NFL game live online via DAZN, a digital streaming service that also includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, Premier League soccer, Champions League soccer, boxing and other live sports for $20 per month or $150 per year.
You can sign up for a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch a live stream of every NFL game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone, tablet, smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the DAZN app.
2019 NFL Preseason Preview
As far as preseason storylines go, it’s hard not to start with No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray.
After lighting the college football world on fire and winning the Heisman last year, Murray, who was drafted ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB draft, saw his NFL stock sykrocket and had no choice but to pursue football. He took one of the most unique paths to becoming the top pick, and he enters the year with sky-high expectations, so it’s easy to see why so many are eager to finally see him in NFL game action.
But with all the hype and pressure, he isn’t exhibiting any nerves.
“He’s just a cool kid,” Cardinals teammate D.J. Humphries said. “You ever meet the guy that’s been cool his whole life? And certain stuff is just like, ‘I’ve been the man since I was 4, bro. Like, you don’t have to tell me I’m going to have a great game on Thursday, I know that.’”
The Cardinals as a whole will be one of the most compelling teams during the preseason. They’ve got a new head coach in Kliff Kingsbury, who is expected to install the entertaining Air Raid offense, and in addition to Murray, they also added wide receivers Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson through the draft. The latter was the latest pick of the trio, but he has impressed during camp and will be one to watch during preseason.
“One that has jumped out, seems to catch everything coming his way, is KeeSean,” Kingsbury said. “He’s made a ton of plays.”
Top rookies are always ones to watch, though we’ll have to wait to see the No. 2 pick. San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa suffered an ankle sprain during practice, and he may miss the entire preseason.
Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to preseason storylines. Each team will have multiple things to watch, ranging from rookies to breakout players climbing the depth chart to position battles.
One such intriguing battle resides in Miami, where Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen are competing for the job under center.
Head coach Brian Flores named the veteran Fitzpatrick the early leader, but Rosen–who was acquired from the Cardinals and is just one year removed from being the No. 10 pick in the draft–has reportedly been steadily improving and narrowing the gap. Fitz will start, but Rosen’s ceiling is obviously much higher, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes the job by the time Week 1 rolls around.
QB1 is also up for grabs in Washington. Colt McCoy is No. 1 on the depth chart, but he’s still recovering from offseason leg surgery and won’t play in the preseason opener, leaving the battle to Case Keenum and No. 15 pick Dwayne Haskins.
Overall, each team will play four preseason contests (with the third serving as the “dress rehearsal” where starters typically play around a half), concluding on August 29. The regular season then gets underway with the Packers at Bears on Thursday, September 5.
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