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NFL Wild Card weekend: Who's playing, kickoff times, how to watch and more

Here's how you can stream the first round of the NFL Playoffs.

Matt Elliott Senior Editor
Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.
Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms
Matt Elliott
3 min read
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The NFL Playoffs get underway this weekend with a quartet of games. Only the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots earned a first-round bye in the AFC, and only the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams earned a bye in the NFC. 

The rest of the teams that qualified for the playoffs begin their road to the Super Bowl this weekend. There are two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. Here's how you can watch the games if you don't have cable.

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Wild Card weekend schedule

Saturday, Jan. 5

  • Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 4:35 p.m. ET ( ABC and ESPN)
  • Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. ET ( Fox )

Sunday, Jan. 6

  • Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 1:05 p.m. ET ( CBS )
  • Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears, 4:40 p.m. ET ( NBC )
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NFL/Screenshot by Jován Pulgarín/CNET

Streaming options

To watch the Wild Card games, you'll need to to find a streaming service that not only offers the four major networks, but also a live feed and not just on-demand content. In many markets, you can watch on-demand but not live content from your local networks.

DirectTV Now

DirectTV Now's basic, $40-a-month Live a Little package includes the four major networks and ESPN. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if you get a live, local feeds in your zip code.

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV costs $40 a month and includes the four major networks and ESPN, but check to see which live channels Hulu offers in your area.

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue's $45-a-month Access plan includes the four major networks and ESPN. Use the PlayStation Vue Plans page to see if you can get a live feed where you live.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV costs $40 a month and includes the four major networks and ESPN. Plug in your zip code on its channel lineup page to see what live, local networks are available where you live.

FuboTV

FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that costs $40 for the first month before jumping up to $45 a month. Sorry Colts and Texans fans, but FuboTV isn't down with Disney . It offers CBC, Fox and NBC but not ABC or ESPN. See what live, local networks it offers in your area.

Sling TV

Bad news, Charges and Ravens fans -- Sling TV doesn't offer CBS. Its $25-a-month Blue plan includes both NBC and Fox, its $25-a-month Orange plan includes ESPN and its $40-a-month Orange + Blue plan includes all three, but you'll need to check if you can watch a live, local feed in your area.

Streaming apps

You can use the apps from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC to stream the games, but you will need to log in with your pay TV credentials. (Disclaimer: CNET is a division of CBS.)

If you're willing to watch on a phone or tablet and not screencast to your TV, then you can livestream all NFL playoff games including Super Bowl LIII with the NFL Mobile app or the Yahoo Sports app for free.

Free over-the-air TV

If you live in an area with good reception, you can watch for free on over-the-air broadcast channels just by attaching an affordable (under $30) indoor antenna to nearly any TV to watch games on the major networks. 

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