If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. With the end of preseason, the 2026-2027 NFL regular season officially kicks off with its first week of games starting on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The first game of the season is New England Patriots vs.
Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, with a start time of 8:20 p.m. Throughout the season, games broadcast live across NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX and NFL Network, as well as livestreams on ESPN Unlimited, Paramount+, FOX One, Peacock, Prime Video and NFL+. Even without cable, you don’t have to miss any of the action.
You can access games on NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX with affordable cable antennas, while football games are also available to stream online on a variety of platforms, such as Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV. However, the best ways for cord-cutters to tune into the action is with DirecTV. With the start of a new season, it’s likely matches may features a few of celebrities in attendance to support their favorite teams, like Kansas City Chiefs-fan Taylor Swift, Seattle Seahawks-fan Chris Pratt, Philadelphia Eagles-fan Bradley Cooper, Los Angeles Rams-fan Kendrick Lamar and others.
Meanwhile, with the popularity of the NFL, games throughout the season are going to be big ratings draws for networks. Programming like Super Bowl LX was a big ratings hit earlier in 2026 with more than 125 million viewers watching the big game. DirecTV is one of the best ways for cable-cutters to access live sports and TV from home.
Save up to $30 on signature packages with DirecTV. Priced at $59.99/month for the first month of service ($89.99/month afterwards), you get access to the streaming service’s “Entertainment” package for football on NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX and NFL Network, along with over 90 local, broadcast and cable channels. The streamer comes with unlimited cloud DVR for recording programming, as well as an additional 105 channels from DirecTV’s “MyFree” networks.
Pricing and channel availability are subject to your local TV market. Sling TV is one of the best options for affordable live streaming with the Sling Orange + Blue package starting at $69.99/month. The package includes NBC, ABC, ESPN, FOX and NFL Network, as well as more than 50 other channels.
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