The second round of the NFL playoffs are upon us. After the first round, the Washington Commanders are the only wild card team still in the Super Bowl hunt. The rest of the Divisional Round teams won their respective divisions. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions finally enter the fray now after a week off for leading the AFC and NFC, respectively. There are eight teams in the second round, which will be dwindled down to four for the conference championships next week.
There are some tense matchups coming, including a rematch between the Texans and the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen will also go into a highly anticipated shoot-out when the Ravens meet the Bills in Buffalo. On the NFC side, the Commanders head north to Detroit to meet the Lions and the LA Rams will face the Eagles in Philadelphia. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about how to watch the NFL divisional games without cable.
NFL Divisional Round schedule
Saturday, January 18 @ 4:30 p.m. Houston Texans 14 vs. Kansas City Chiefs 23
Saturday, January 18 @ 8 p.m. Washington Commanders 45 vs. Detroit Lions 31
Sunday, January 19 @ 3 p.m. LA Rams 22 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 28
Sunday, January 19 @ 6:30 p.m. Baltimore Ravens 25 vs. Buffalo Bills 27
(All times are ET)
Where to watch NFL Divisional Round Matchups
The divisional games will be aired across the broadcast channels and their respective streaming services. The Chiefs and Texans matchup will be on ESPN and simulcast on ABC and ESPN Plus. Fox will be airing the NFC divisional game on Saturday, hosting the Commanders and the Lions for the evening game. On Sunday, football moves to NBC for the Eagles and Rams game, which you can also watch live on Peacock. And the final game of the divisional playoffs between the Bills and the Ravens will air on CBS and simultaneously stream on Paramount Plus.
| DIRECTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Watch on DIRECTV STREAM
- Suggested Plan: Entertainment
- Monthly Price: $86.99
- Free Trial: Yes, 5-days
DIRECTV STREAM is one of the most robust cable streaming platforms and is especially clutch if you live in the same market as your favorite team. These are the playoffs so all four games will be broadcast nationally, and DIRECTV STREAM will give you every channel you need to watch. When the regular season comes back around, a DIRECTV STREAM membership is most likely to carry the regional sports network for your area, keeping you covered when it comes to your local football team and other pro sports. You’ll need the Choice package to score the RSNs, but that also comes with other national sports networks like NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, ESPN, and many more.
There are also many entertainment options with the over 125 channels in the Choice tier and unlimited Cloud DVR storage so you can record your favorite shows and games to rewatch at your leisure. You can stream on up to ten devices on your home network and access DIRECTV STREAM on three devices when you’re traveling, so you can watch wherever you are.
Watch on Fubo
- Suggested Plan: Essential
- Monthly Price: $84.99
- Free Trial: Yes, 7-days
If you really want to take live sports streaming to another level, Fubo is the best option on the market. The basic Essential plan will let you watch every Divisional Round matchup, and you’ll have more than 30 sports networks. Fubo is the only other streaming platform to also include RSNs in select plans (Pro and Elite), so it’s truly a complete package. It’s also much cheaper than DIRECTV STREAM. For those who want regional sports coverage with a Pro plan, you’ll pay $84.99 a month plus a monthly regional sports fee that’s based on your area.
There are also plenty of ways to expand your plan and add even more sports and entertainment. All Fubo plans include unlimited Cloud DVR and up to 10 simultaneous streams at home, so you can record any Divisional games you have to miss. It’s worth noting that Fubo has a few significant gaps in its channel lineup — it doesn’t offer major networks like TBS, TNT, truTV, CNN, and BBC. You can try it out for free for up to seven days over the Divisional Round weekend.
Watch on Hulu + Live TV
- Suggested Plan: Hulu + Live TV (with ads)
- Monthly Price: $82.99
- Free Trial: Yes, 3-days
The Hulu + Live TV bundle is a great option for sports fans who also want access to a deep entertainment library. The Hulu + Live TV bundle will give you the entire Hulu streaming library, which features current and classic TV shows from many of your favorite broadcast networks. You’ll also get Disney Plus, which includes the full Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and National Geographic libraries, and ESPN Plu,s which comes with exclusive streaming games and additional ESPN content. The Live TV package comes with over 95 live and on-demand channels that include Big 10 Network, ESPN, ESPNU, MLB Network, NFL Network, and more.
The Hulu + Live TV bundle also comes with unlimited DVR storage and the ability to watch on multiple devices on your home network. You can create up to six household profiles so everyone can watch what they want and curate their own watchlists.
Watch on Sling TV
- Suggested Plan: Sling Orange & Blue
- Monthly Price: $60.99
- Free Trial: No
Sling is the most affordable option on this list, but beware that Sling does not carry CBS so you’ll need local access or a Paramount Plus to watch the Ravens and Bills game, which is potentially the most anticipated matchup of the divisional playoffs. You’ll need the top-tier plan, Sling Orange & Blue, to get ESPN and the other broadcast networks, but you’ll want to double-check that the broadcast networks come in your coverage area. The good news about Sling is that for that affordable price you’ll get four ESPN channels, FS1, NFL Network, and dozens of other entertainment networks.
Having the Sling Orange & Blue plan allows you to stream on four devices at a time – one on the Orange plan and three with access to the Blue channels. The combined bundle also gives you 22 exclusive channels than if you went with only Orange or Blue. You also get 50 hours of DVR storage, which is easily upgraded to 200 hours for an extra $5 per month. You can also cancel your plan at any time without worry about contract or cancellation fees.
Watch on YouTube TV
- Suggested Plan: Base Plan
- Monthly Price: $82.99
- Free Trial: Yes, 7-days
If you are out-of-market for your favorite team and are looking for the best streaming service that will allow you to watch every playoff game, but also make it the easiest to watch your favorite teams next season, YouTube TV is a very popular choice because of its partnership with NFL Sunday Ticket. YouTube TV is the exclusive home of the premium sports package that lets you watch any Sunday NFL game that is not being broadcast locally in your area, so it’s a big win for out-of-market fans. However, you don’t need to commit to the cost of NFL Sunday Ticket until the fall.
The YouTube Base Plan comes with all of the channels you need for the divisional playoffs and over 100 other channels. You’ll also get unlimited DVR space and special features like the Key Plays view that will let you review key moments in the game. You’re allowed six different household accounts so you can manage your own suggestions algorithm and set up kid-friendly accounts. And you can stream on up to three devices simultaneously so everyone can watch what makes them happy.
FAQ
Does Peacock have playoff games?
Peacock featured one game over Wild Card Weekend — the AFC matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. This was the first time NBC streamed a playoff game exclusively on its over-the-top service.
Has a wild card won the Super Bowl?
Since the addition of wild card spots in 1970, only six wild card teams have won the Super Bowl:
- The 1980 Oakland Raiders
- The 1997 Denver Broncos
- The 2000 Baltimore Ravens
- The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
- The 2007 New York Giants
- The 2010 Green Bay Packers
Will NFL playoffs be on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV carries every TV network that’s slated to air NFL playoff games in 2024. You can watch with the base plan, which costs $82.99 a month.
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