How to Watch NFL Games Free and Avoid Blackouts

NFLThis is our favorite time of year as the NFL season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 7. The Lions will meet the Chiefs in Kansas City to get the 2023 season underway. If you’re like most football fans, there are times when you might not have access to the games you want to watch. Perhaps you’re traveling outside the United States or just can’t find good coverage of your favorite team. Knowing which sites to use along with a VPN can help both of those situations. The right VPN will also help you avoid NFL blackout restrictions.

RankVPN ServiceOur
Score
Server
Locations
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1ExpressVPN9.8160Visit ExpressVPN
2NordVPN9.487Visit NordVPN
3Private Internet Access9.295Visit PIA

Where to Stream NFL Games Live in 2023

There are a number of ways you can enjoy football throughout the season. Perhaps the most popular is watching the broadcasts on the major networks like CBS, FOX, ESPN, and the NFL Network. Let’s look at some of the other ways to stream the game live online. Some are free while others require a subscription fee.

Verizon – This may be the best way to enjoy the games for free. Verizon has partnered with the NFL to offer the aptly named NFL app to help users watch in-market coverage, primetime match ups, playoff games, and the Super Bowl. You can add NFL RedZone for $1.99 a month. Connect to a US server location with a VPN to download the NFL mobile app, and enjoy games on your phone.

Twitch – Twitch.tv is a streaming website that is normally used to stream video games. In this case, the company is broadcasting 11 of the Thursday Night Football streams for no cost. It is limited to the US and US territories so if you are outside the area, you would need to connect to a server there.

Amazon Prime Video – With Amazon Prime Video, you can watch 11 Thursday night match ups along with one more exclusive game. Those who don’t already have a Prime membership can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Enjoy 30 days of NFL action for free during that time as long as you are in the US or connected to a VPN server there.

DAZN – If you have been around the streaming scene for a while, you may have heard of DAZN before. If you are in the US and try to view the site, you will simply get information on how to watch boxing. However, if you are outside the US or want to get around blackouts, you can access the Canadian version. There, you can watch NFL games as well as other sports for $20 a month with the first month free. Additionally, you can get an entire year for $150. We were able to verify that you need an IP address outside the United States to watch it so make sure to connect to a VPN server in Canada first.

Other streaming services – Paramount Plus (for NFL games on CBS), Hulu, Youtube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and FuboTV all grant you access to NFL games. They each have at least a 7-day free trial so you can enjoy the games for a week. Keep in mind you may need to supply a valid US ZIP code (postal code) and connect to a VPN server there before you sign up.

Unblock NFL Blackout Games

In addition to saving money, signing up for one of the methods we listed above from another region will help you avoid blackouts. We’ve all been there. You get ready to cheer on your favorite team only to find out NFL blackout restrictions are in effect. That won’t happen with the above methods and a VPN. Simply connect to a VPN server in the locations we mentioned above.

How to Use a VPN to Watch NFL Games

As we mentioned, there are several options for watching your favorite team. We will use ExpressVPN for our guide:

  1. ExpressVPN NFLSign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee)
  2. Download and install the ExpressVPN app on your device
  3. Connect to a VPN server in a city that the streaming service you plan to use supports. Some recommended server locations include New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami. Choosing the city closest to you’re present location will typically give you the best speed but all these servers are fast.
  4. Sign up or log in to your favorite streaming service.
  5. Cheer on your favorite NFL team all season long.
  6. If you have any issues throughout the season, please check the ExpressVPN NFL page for the latest information. You can also reach out to the ExpressVPN support team and they will be happy to help.

It is just that easy to do. Now that you have an IP address from an ExpressVPN server in the zone you want, you can browse the Internet as if you were actually there. The same is true of any country. Connect to a UK server to watch the British coverage of the NFL.

Please share this post with your friends so they can enjoy the NFL season. Best of luck to your favorite team.

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