Few forces known to humankind can put eyes on screens like the NFL does. America’s relationship with its pro football stage floats between fixation and faith.
By now, ardent NFL fans know the main times to block off. Some things have held steady across the past two decades — Sunday is the all-day affair with afternoon slots and a nightcap; Monday and Thursday have standalone games. A lot has changed, though. The decentralization of the broadcasts can get confusing, if not frustrating. In addition to the usual channel rotation, this season’s streaming rights extend to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Peacock and YouTube. There’s also the new ESPN-NFL blockbuster to sift through.
Consider this our best effort to consolidate the schedule, review the different broadcasters and keep track of all these subscriptions. Make sure you’re also following the NFL on The Athletic. Our Scoop City newsletter is one of the best briefings in the game. And our senior writers are basically the 1999 Rams offense of football scribes.
All times listed below are ET.
Cable/satellite/streaming base
Ensuring access to every NFL game this season begins with a basic TV provider. Here are the most popular domestic options, contingent on local availability, with pricing as of August 2025:
- Fubo (Save $30) is $0 for the first week, $54.99 for the first month with the applied discount, then $84.99 monthly.
- Hulu’s live TV add-on is free for the first three days, then $82.99/month.
- YouTube TV is $49.99 for the first three months (offer good through Aug. 31), then $82.99/month.
- DirecTV’s “Choice” package starts at $59.99 for the first month, then bumps up to $89.99/month.
- Dish’s “America’s Top 120+” plan is $106.99/month.
- Xfinity’s “Sports & News” TV and internet package is $110/month.
- Verizon Fios’ “More Fios” plan is $95 for an initial 60 days, then goes to $119/month.
- Sling’s most expansive “Orange & Blue” option has a base price of $60.99/month, which bumps up to $75.99/month with the “Sports Extras” add-on. The company is also selling day passes for temporary access, with the weekly one at $14.99 and weekends at $9.99. Sling doesn’t carry CBS networks.
Average monthly cost: $85-100. Depending on the carrier, this will cover everything except for out-of-market games, “Thursday Night Football” on Prime and the Christmas slate on Netflix.
Sunday afternoon, in market
CBS and Fox
Our dueling homes for the busiest part of the weekly schedule. A majority of games will fall on Sunday afternoon, kicking off at either 1 or 4-4:30 p.m. Typically (though not always), the East Coast home teams play at 1, while hosts on Pacific time take that 4-4:30 spot. Many weeks are doubleheaders for each channel.
For the most part, CBS has the AFC home games and Fox has the NFC ones. That’s not absolute, though (blame something called the “cross flex,” which sounds more like a route tree in Dan Campbell’s offense). When there’s no local team to prioritize, these over-the-air channels will show a game of national intrigue. Fox specifically brands this second afternoon window as “America’s Game of the Week,” and it features the usual suspects with later kickoffs (the Cowboys basically have a timeshare here).
Both networks have broadcast teams to spread around the league on Sundays. Here’s a refresher on those lead crews:
CBS — “Hello Friends” Team
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
Ian Eagle, JJ Watt and Evan Washburn
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
Andrew Catalon, Charles Davis, Jason McCourty and AJ Ross
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
Fox — “Dancing Robots” Team
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez and Kristina Pink
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Megan Olivi
Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston and Allison Williams
Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Jen Hale
What you’ll need to watch: One of the aforementioned cable or streaming packages, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access. Local CBS games can also be streamed on Paramount+ (starting at $7.99/month). Local Fox games can also be streamed on Fox One (starting at $19.99/month).
Sunday afternoon, out of market
NFL Sunday Ticket
Maybe you’re a fan who’s far from home. Perhaps you’re publishing a study on the neurological effects of the witching-hour quadbox. At least one person reading this plans to construct a full-service sports bar in their basement. Folks trying to watch the entire slate uninterrupted will need NFL Sunday Ticket, which unlocks each out-of-market broadcast on a separate channel. For an extra fee, you can get NFL RedZone, the frenetic live whip-around anchored by Scott Hanson. That man is peerless in his love for American football.
What you’ll need to watch: YouTube is the current digital home provider of NFL Sunday Ticket (DirecTV carries it for businesses). New Sunday Ticket users can subscribe for $276/year, which comes out to $23/month. Returning users with YouTube TV are charged $378, or $31.50/month, and those without YouTube TV pay $480 ($40/month). These are the prices without RedZone.
Average monthly cost: $23-40
NFL RedZone
Other than as an add-on with your provider, you can also get RedZone access with the league’s NFL+ Premium app for 12 installments of $14.99. Full out-of-market games can’t be streamed live here, though, making it a better option for fantasy players rather than dedicated team loyalists.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN recently sold 10 percent of its equity to the NFL in exchange for league media assets (NFL Network, cable RedZone rights and fantasy football games). So, as of Sept. 3, the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer (DTC) service is offering a bundle with NFL+ Premium for $39.99/month.
Average monthly cost: $15-40
“Sunday Night Football”
NBC, Peacock
Sundays always end with “Sunday Night Football,” featuring Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth. Tirico is the successor to longtime SNF voice Al Michaels. Collinsworth, well … “here’s a guy” who gets really excited about nickel corners and pass-blocking running backs. Melissa Stark is NBC’s Sunday night sideline reporter.
As we get into the later weeks, NBC will flex into matchups with greater playoff implications. The same goes for ABC/ESPN (Mondays) and Prime Video (Thursdays). Network flexing is a contentious issue, though. Putting a more compelling game on national TV rewards viewers at home, but sudden schedule changes obviously hurt traveling fans. For SNF in Weeks 5-13, a flex must be announced at least 12 days before the game. That window halves to a six-day warning in Weeks 14-17.
The entirety of the Week 18 schedule will be announced after Week 17 is in the books. Typically, that final-week SNF game will be whatever has the most direct playoff implications. The Sept. 4 season opener (Cowboys at Eagles) does indeed fall on a Thursday night, but it’s functionally a SNF game with its NBC presentation. Exhausting, right? Check out the full slate below, with all games kicking off at 8:20 p.m.:
- Sept. 4 (Thursday, Week 1): Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
- Sept. 7 (Week 1): Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
- Sept. 14 (Week 2): Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
- Sept. 21 (Week 3): Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants
- Sept. 28 (Week 4): Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys
- Oct. 5 (Week 5): New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
- Oct. 12 (Week 6): Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs
- Oct. 19 (Week 7): Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
- Oct. 26 (Week 8): Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
- Nov. 2 (Week 9): Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders
- Nov. 9 (Week 10): Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers
- Nov. 16 (Week 11): Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles
- Nov. 23 (Week 12): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams
- Nov. 27 (Thursday, Week 13): Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
- Nov. 30 (Week 13): Denver Broncos at Washington Commanders
- Dec. 7 (Week 14): Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
- Dec. 14 (Week 15): Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys
- Dec. 21 (Week 16): Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins
- Dec. 27 (Saturday, Week 17): Peacock exclusive, TBD
- Dec. 28 (Week 17): Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
- Jan. 4 (Week 18): TBD
What you’ll need to watch: A TV package, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access, or a Peacock account (the basic plan with ads starts at $7.99 per month).
“Monday Night Football”
ESPN, ABC
Here’s where you’ll find end-of-week pageantry with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the inescapable theme music. Industry vet Lisa Salters dispatches from the sideline, along with Laura Rutledge. When there are multiple Monday night listings, Chris Fowler does play-by-play on the doubleheader’s other game, with former safety Louis Riddick and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky on color commentary. Katie George and Peter Schrager cover the sidelines with that group. The MNF crew for ESPN Deportes includes play-by-play woman Rebeca Landa and analyst Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, with sideline reports from MJ Acosta-Ruiz and the incomparable John Sutcliffe.
There will usually be a simulcast on ESPN2 anchored by Peyton and Eli Manning. Sometimes, the Super Bowl-winning brothers offer unique vantage points on late-game situations. We get shenanigans in equal measure, because what else is this format for? The “ManningCast” is where Eli got a Death Row chain from Snoop Dogg, and where Green Bay Gumby tried to drink through his felt eyeball.
Monday flexes go down Weeks 12-17, with the 12-day window for changes. Take a look at the current MNF lineup, pre-flex scheduling:
- Sept. 8 (Week 1): Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m.
- Sept. 15 (Week 2): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans, 7 p.m.
- Doubleheader: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders, 10 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Sept. 22 (Week 3): Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens, 8:15 p.m.
- Sept. 29 (Week 4): New York Jets at Miami Dolphins, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Doubleheader: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos, 10 p.m. (ABC only)
- Oct. 6 (Week 5): Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m.
- Oct. 13 (Week 6): Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Doubleheader: Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m. (ABC only)
- Oct. 20 (Week 7): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions, 7 p.m.
- Doubleheader: Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks, 10 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Oct. 27 (Week 8): Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m.
- Nov. 3 (Week 9): Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m.
- Nov. 10 (Week 10): Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m.
- Nov. 17 (Week 11): Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:15 p.m.
- Nov. 24 (Week 12): Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Dec. 1 (Week 13): New York Giants at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Dec. 8 (Week 14): Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 p.m.
- Dec. 15 (Week 15): Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Dec. 22 (Week 16): San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Dec. 29 (Week 17): Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN only)
- Jan. 3 (Saturday, Week 18): TBD doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
As mentioned above, the Week 18 schedule isn’t set until Week 17 is fully over. And yeah, those last two “Monday Night Football” games are on a Saturday. That sounds weird, but no weirder than Dallas being in the “East” or Indianapolis in the “South.” It’s a weird sport with a weirdly shaped ball. We roll with it.
What you’ll need to watch: A TV package, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access to ABC. ESPN is also available with the new ESPN Unlimited DTC service ($29.99 per month).
“Thursday Night Football”
Prime Video
This marks year No. 4 of TNF on Amazon. Al Michaels does play-by-play, and he’s joined by Kirk Herbstreit (“College GameDay” staple and Golden Retriever enthusiast). Kaylee Hartung handles the sideline. Thursday games are on the Prime Video app for national audiences, and free over-the-air broadcasts are available in the two teams’ home markets. Last year’s ill-fated first TNF flex did not lead to new safeguards; rather, the league reduced the notice window from 28 days down to 21. Again, those flexes favor folks at home who want exciting and relevant late-season viewing, but it brings chaos to ticket holders and the participating teams themselves.
Alternatively, TNF can be streamed on Twitch or with an NFL+ subscription (mobile only, however). This is the 2025 lineup, before flex scheduling. All regular TNF games start at 8:15 p.m.:
- Sept. 11 (Week 2): Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers
- Sept. 18 (Week 3): Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
- Sept. 25 (Week 4): Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
- Oct. 2 (Week 5): San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
- Oct. 9 (Week 6): Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
- Oct. 16 (Week 7): Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
- Oct. 23 (Week 8): Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers
- Oct. 30 (Week 9): Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
- Nov. 6 (Week 10): Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos
- Nov. 13 (Week 11): New York Jets at New England Patriots
- Nov. 20 (Week 12): Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
- Nov. 28 (Black Friday, Week 13): Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles, 3 p.m.
- Dec. 4 (Week 14): Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions
- Dec. 11 (Week 15): Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Dec. 18 (Week 16): Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
What you’ll need to watch: Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 per month, or NFL+ ($6.99/month). TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account.
Average monthly cost: $0-15
Week 1 Brazil Game
YouTube
One day after the season opener, we’re whisked down to Brazil for a Friday night Chargers and Chiefs draw. Here’s some much-needed relief, streamers-in-arms: This game on YouTube (the website itself!) is entirely free worldwide, and we won’t need to log in with any credentials. It’s a one-off experiment that should go smoothly … so long as viewers know how to throw it on the big screen (HDMI, screen mirroring, the YouTube app on a smart TV, etc.). Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner will be on the call, while Stacey Dales and content creator/former UFL kicker Deestroying will be on the sidelines.
- Friday, Sept. 5 (Week 1): Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo
What you’ll need to watch: YouTube, no account required.
Other international games
NFL Network
In addition to Brazil, football’s world tour hits Ireland, England, Germany and Spain this year. All of that action can be found on NFL Network. No matter the destination, all international games kick off Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Last year’s play-by-play rotation for these games included Rich Eisen, Chris Rose and Kevin Harlan. They were flanked by Hall of Famers Kurt Warner and Joe Thomas, plus former Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green and retired offensive lineman Ross Tucker.
This year, Fox loaned out its No. 2 crew — Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver — who will join Jamie Erdahl for the Week 4 game in Dublin.
Overseas fans are restricted from much of the regular season flow, sadly. NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the solution for the growing number of American football fans in international markets (pricing by country can be found here). The Athletic’s Matt Slater also recently reported that Channel 5 is picking up a few free-to-air Sunday kickoffs for U.K. followers.
Passports out and alarms on:
- Sept. 28 (Week 4): Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin
- Oct. 5 (Week 5): Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns in London
- Oct. 12 (Week 6): Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets in London
- Oct. 19 (Week 7): Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London
- Nov. 9 (Week 10): Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts in Berlin
- Nov. 16 (Week 11): Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins in Madrid
What you’ll need to watch: A TV package with NFL Network, or the basic NFL+ plan (standalone or with ESPN Unlimited).
Thanksgiving and Black Friday games
Fox, CBS, NBC, Prime Video
The annual Thanksgiving games are on three different networks, because of course they are. The Black Friday slot is likely to stay for the foreseeable future. The Friday matchup is another streaming exclusive, save for those watching in the Chicago and Philly markets.
- Thursday, Nov. 27 (Week 13): Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions — Fox, 1 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 27 (Week 13): Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys — CBS, 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 27 (Week 13): Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens — NBC, 8:20 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 28 (Week 13): Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles — Prime Video, 3 p.m.
What you’ll need to watch: A TV package with those three networks, plus the Amazon Prime subscription or NFL+ for Friday.
Christmas games
Netflix, Prime Video
We were all but out of dodge … until one last streaming service stood before us. The NFL has now built out a Netflix-based Christmas slate, because the appetite for more football is never-ending. Last year, the father-son duo of Ian and Noah Eagle divvied up the two Netflix exclusives during the day, as retired greats Nate Burleson, JJ Watt and Greg Olsen did color. There’s a third game to close the 2025 holiday out, since Christmas is on a Thursday this year. That Broncos-Chiefs broadcast will get the traditional “Thursday Night Football” treatment via Prime. ‘Tis the season:
- Thursday, Dec. 25 (Week 17): Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders — Netflix, 1 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 25 (Week 17): Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings — Netflix, 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 25 (Week 17): Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs — Prime Video, 8:15 p.m.
What you’ll need to watch: A Netflix subscription is required for the first two Christmas contests ($7.99/month with ads).
Average cost: $8
Looks like we made it! As laid out above, the cost of watching every single NFL game this year will be just under $150 per month — say, $85 or so for a live TV provider, plus up to $40 for Sunday Ticket (out-of-market games), $15 for Amazon Prime (Thursdays) and $8 for Netflix (two Christmas games). Yeesh. Some fans may already have subscriptions covered through other means, and some will surely opt for à la carte service to tame the price tag. It’s going to be all about picking and choosing streamers to match needs, and a working knowledge of the weekly carousel goes a long way there.
For your patience in making it through all this, let’s watch grown men get possessed by the football spirit as Saquon Barkley reimagined physics. Cheers:
The Eagles’ sideline reaction to Saquon’s backwards hurdle might be the coolest angle yet pic.twitter.com/L68A5ZRFgN
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 5, 2024
Updated 2025 futures
NFL single-season records
- Passing yards — Peyton Manning with 5,477 (2013)
- Passing TDs — Peyton Manning with 55 (2013)
- Rushing yards — Eric Dickerson with 2,105 (1984)
- Rushing touchdowns — LaDainian Tomlinson with 28 (2006)
- Receiving yards — Calvin Johnson with 1,964 (2012)
- Receiving touchdowns — Randy Moss with 23 (2007)
- Sacks (official, after 1982) — Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021), 22.5
- Interceptions — Night Train Lane with 14 (1952)
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(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)