All right football fans, the 2015 NFL season is just a few weeks away and it is now officially time to get hyped up.
With all the news surrounding “Deflate-gate,” it’s going to be interesting to see how the Patriots will fare while their star quarterback Tom Brady is on a four-game suspension.
Now if you’re like me and you hate having a cable bill, you’re probably wondering how you can catch the 2015-2016 NFL season without having spend thousands of dollars on a cable subscription. Luckily for you, cable is no longer a required piece of the NFL football equation; and today I’ll show you what you as a cord cutter need to do to get ready for this upcoming NFL season.
Watch for Free in HD Over-the-Air
The first thing you need to know about watching the NFL on TV is that most of the games can be caught on broadcast television; and all you need to pick up broadcast television is a simple over-the-air antenna (OTA). With an OTA antenna you can pick up the major broadcast networks like NBC, CBS, and Fox in 1080 HD picture for free.
Be sure to check the full 2015-2016 NFL schedule to plan your viewing parties accordingly.
The very first game of the regular season will be on September 10th and will pit the Pittsburgh Steelers against the New England Patriots. Although the Patriots will be coming off of their Super Bowl Victory from last season, they will be missing Tom Brady; which could drastically changes the outcome of the game.
The game will air on NBC at 8:30 PM EST.
Monday Night Football on ESPN with Sling TV
With an OTA antenna, the only weekly football game you won’t be able to get is Monday Night Football, which airs on ESPN. But with a subscription to Sling TV you can get ESPN 1 & 2 in the standard package. It’s $20 a month and it renews month to month; so that means no lengthy contracts or steep fees and you can start/stop your subscription whenever you want.
Stream Out-of-Market Games with NFL Game Pass
The specific games you see via an OTA antenna will depend on your local “market.” While it might not be a big deal if you’re a fan of an in-market team, if you cheer for an out-of-market team you will be a bit frustrated. The solution to those out-of-markets blues is NFL Game Pass.
NFL Game Pass is a streaming service that will allow football fans to watch every NFL game in the regular season; along with condensed games, access to every game from 2009 to present, and access to over 20 different camera angles.
The only catch to it is that the games are only available AFTER the game has aired on live television. You won’t have to wait 24 hours, like its predecessor NFL Rewind, but you still can’t watch it live. Thankfully, the NFL was considerate and implemented a feature that blocks all spoilers of the game so you can watch it fresh and unsullied. NFL Game Pass will cost you $99 for the season.
Between OTA television, Sling TV, and NFL Game Pass you should be able to catch every single NFL game this season at your own time and pace. Now all you have to do is sit back, relax, and watch the grid iron glory unfold in before of you.
