How to watch NFL Wild Card Weekend: Who's in and how to stream all the games without cable
Also known as Super Wild Card Weekend, the NFL Wild Card Weekend is almost here. It's time to plan which games you'll watch and when and how to watch them.
One of the best Wild Card Weekends in recent history, this year's matchups include a Super Bowl-worthy showdown between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's return to Detroit where he faces the Lions (whose quarterback Jared Goff used to play for the Rams) and Houston Texans stud rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud's first-ever NFL playoff game when the Texans face the Cleveland Browns.
Figuring out which network or which streamer is airing each Super Wild Card Weekend game, however, can prove trickier than learning Sean McVay's playbook. Keep reading for everything you need to know about NFL Super Wild Card Weekend from when the games are on, how to stream NFL Wild Card games without cable and how Wild Card Weekend works.
What teams are scheduled to play on Wild Card Weekend?
Twelve teams will play six games over NFL Wild Card Weekend starting with two terrific Saturday games, ending with a stellar Monday Night Football showdown. Here are the teams playing this weekend.
- Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans
- Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Blils (Monday)
- Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
How and when to watch the NFL Wild Card Weekend games
Starting Saturday at 4:30 p.m, expect three days worth of incredible football on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Saturday January 13, 2024
- Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Sling TV)
- Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:00 p.m. (Peacock)
Sunday January 14, 2024
- Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. (Fox, Sling TV)
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions, 8:00 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Monday, January 15, 2024
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:30 p.m. (CBS)
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, Sling TV)
Do I need a Peacock subscription to watch NFL Wild Card games this Saturday?
This Saturday, the NFL is delivering a doubleheader of terrific football. Game 1, the Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans game will air on NBC and stream on the platforms listed below. Game 2, the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, will stream exclusively on Peacock. If you're in the Miami area, you can also watch the game on local NBC affiliate NBC6.
While you won't need a Peacock subscription to watch the Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans game, you'll need a Peacock subscription to catch the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. A top-tier AFC showdown, you won't want to miss the Dolphins vs. Chiefs game. Luckily, it's easy (and inexpensive) to subscribe to Peacock. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)
Watch the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Peacock
Peacock offers its subscribers live streaming access to NFL games that air on NBC or Peacock exclusive games, including Saturday's matchups, this Sunday's amazing Detroit Lions vs. LA Rams game and future Sunday Night Football playoff games. The streaming service has plenty more live sports to offer, including Big Ten football, Premier League soccer and WWE wrestling (including formerly PPV-only events such as Wrestlemania). There's 80,000 hours worth of recorded content to watch as well, including hit movies and TV series such as "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation."
A Peacock subscription costs $6 per month. An annual plan is available for $60 per year. You can cancel anytime.
Top features of Peacock:
- If you only want to watch this game, it's your least expensive option. If you want to watch stream NFL games on other networks, there are better choices below.
- Peacock features plenty of current and classic NBC and Bravo TV shows.
How to watch NFL Wild Card Weekend without cable
The only thing trickier than creating the NFL season schedule is figuring it how to watch it without cable. With so many terrific streaming options that may or may not air each game, it's easy to get football fan overwhelm (our term) trying to figure out how to stream the games.
That's where we come in. We'll break down each streaming platform below, explaining which platform will carry which game, starting with the only two streaming platforms that will carry each Wild Card Weekend game, which are FuboTV and Hulu+ Live TV -- excluding the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs game streaming only on Peacock.
Watch (almost) every NFL Wild Card Weekend game free with FuboTV
Catch every Super Wild Card Weekend game, except for the Dolphins vs. Chiefs game, on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via "NFL on Fox", NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you'll be able to watch more than just today's games, all without a cable subscription.
To watch the NFL Wild Card Weekend games without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to college football next season, you'll have access to NFL football, FuboTV offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. FuboTV Pro Tier is priced at $75 per month after your free seven-day trial.
Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:
- There are no contracts with FuboTV -- you can cancel at any time.
- The Pro tier includes 169 channels, including NFL Network. (You'll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
- FuboTV includes all the channels you'll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
- All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
- Stream on your TV, phone, and other devices.
Watch NFL Wild Card Weekend games on Hulu + Live TV
You can watch Wild Card Weekend, including the NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game this weekend (except for the Dolphins vs. Chiefs game) airing on every network with Hulu + Live TV. Nest season, you'll be able to catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month.
Stream Wild Card Weekend games on Sling TV for half price
If you have don't have a cable TV plan that includes NBC, Fox or ABC, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream live NFL playoff games this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to the NFL Network, local NBC, FOX and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups.
That plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you'll pay just $30. You can learn more by tapping the button below.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:
- There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
- You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
- All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
- Sling TV doesn't include CBS-aired games. If you're looking to stream all Wild Card Weekend games with one platform FuboTV or Hulu+ Live TV are better choices this weekend, though you will also need a Peacock subscription.
Watch NFL Wild Card Weekend live with a digital HDTV antenna
If you're cutting the cord to your cable company, you're not alone; in fact, you are in luck. You can still watch almost all NFL Wild Card Weekend games with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDYC channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here's the kicker: There's no monthly charge.
Anyone living in partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal -- or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch college football without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable (or your cable company gets in a squabble with a network).
This amplified digital antenna can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, Univision and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It received signals 360 degrees and delivers a high-quality picture in 4K, UHD and 1080 HDTV, top-tier sound and features a 16-foot digital coax cable. This Amazon best selling antenna is regularly priced around $23, but we've seen it for sale as low as $12.
Watch NFL Super Wild Card Weekend on your phone with NFL+
If you want to catch the games on your phone -- and all the football still ahead in the post season -- check out NFL+. The premium streaming service, starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), offers access to NFL Network. And yes, that includes games being broadcast out-of-market. To boost your NFL experience even further, you can upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously. A seven-day, free trial is available.
Top features of NFL+:
- You get access to all NFL preseason games, including those that are out of market.
- NFL+ lets you watch stream local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet, but not your TV.
- Includes the NFL Network (and NFL RedZone with NFL+ Premium), so it's a good option for those who are looking to stream football on the go.
Waiting for the games to start? Check out Amazon's new NFL fan shop
If you're waiting for NFL Wild Card Weekend to begin, now is a great time to check out Amazon's new NFL fan shop. The Amazon NFL fan shop is filled to the brim with officially licensed fan gear: You'll find jerseys, team flags, T-shirts, hoodies and more, including tons of great after-Christmas deals for the NFL fan in your life. There are plenty of deals awaiting you at Amazon, too, including some must-see deals on TVs for watching football.
Tap the button below to head directly to the NFL fan shop page on Amazon and select your favorite team.
Storylines we followed in the 2023 NFL regular season
Important dates to remember:
- The 2023 NFL regular season ran through Jan. 7, 2024.
- Playoffs are scheduled for January 13 through Jan. 28, 2004.
- Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
Taylor Swift's NFL era: Looking back on the 2023 NFL regular season nears, it's clear the biggest story of the 2023 NFL season was Taylor Swift (Travis Kelce, too). Swift's appearances at NFL stadiums including Lambeau, Gillette and Arrowhead sent Swifties of all ages into a frenzy that nearly overwhelmed the league itself. Football purists found the intrusion and Swift-related attention unnerving, but the pop sensation brought millions of new fans to the game. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce seem to be going strong, which means fans can expect to see Taylor herself in the stands of Kansas City Chiefs playoff games as her schedule allows. Football fans may find it slightly annoying. But if the attention (and new audience) Taylor brought to professional NFL football just by showing up wasn't proof enough, it's Taylor's world and we're all just living in it -- one era at a time.
Is this the Cowboys year? Being a Dallas Cowboys fan requires a Texas-sized emotional commitment. Last season, fans gutted through quarterback Dak Prescott's winning record (not in a good way) of most interceptions thrown in the 2022-2023 season. Dak whittled his interceptions down this season and the Cowboys managed the unthinkable -- they toppled the mighty Philadelphia Eagles from their perch atop the NFC East in Week 14. But the Cowboys' 31-10 upset loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 is the kind of play that makes Cowboys fans weary. The Cowboys could go all the way to the Super Bowl this season, but it won't be without taking fans on an emotional rollercoaster best left at an amusement park.
Good morning, Baltimore. Many hours of NFL sports broadcasts over recent years has been dedicated to arguing the talents (or lack thereof) of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Lamar has always been a dynamic scrambler out of the pocket and this season is no different. Poised to have the best season of his career, MVP chants follow Jackson (again) at every turn. The Ravens might not get the hype of the Chiefs or Cowboys, but they're establishing themselves a Super Bowl contender and Lamar is already making a case to turn those MVP chants into reality. If you don't mind being called a "bandwagon" by the teenager in your life, there's never been a better time to jump on the Ravens bandwagon. We won't tell and neither should you.
