Where to watch NFL Wild Card Games: Live stream Packers, Bears, and more
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The NFL playoffs have arrived, and 12 teams will duke it out in Wild Card games for a shot at the Divisional round. We've gathered everything you need to know about where to watch NFL Wild Card games, including live streaming options.
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks earned first-round byes, but the other 12 teams to make it to the postseason will battle it out in one of six Wild Card games. The NFC will see Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles showdowns. The AFC will feature Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots, and Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers games.
The most notable omission in this year's postseason lineup is the Kansas City Chiefs, who haven't missed the playoffs in several years and made it all the way to the Super Bowl for five out of the six past seasons. The Chiefs faced a tricky couple of months and ultimately lost their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, to a season-ending knee injury in mid-December.
Whether the Eagles, the reigning champions, can go all the way again this year or whether there will be two fresh teams at Super Bowl LX remains to be seen. Keep reading to learn some of the best ways to tune into the Wild Card round, including global streaming options.
Where to watch NFL Wild Card games in the US
The NFL Wild Card games are spread across several networks and streaming services in the US, including Prime Video, CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN. Each network has its own streaming counterpart, which we'll dig into below, but if you're looking to watch every game (other than the streaming exclusive Prime Video match-up) in one place, then a live TV streaming service will be able to help you out.
The best live TV streaming service we've tested that carries CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN, in addition to other networks, is DirecTV. These channels are available in any of the streamer's Signature packages, but you can also find them in the DirecTV MySports genre pack. MySports carries around 20 popular sports channels and unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. Local channels in genre packs sometimes vary by region, so it's a good idea to see what's available in your ZIP code before signing up. MySports subscriptions cost $70 a month, while Signature plans start at $90 a month. DirecTV offers a five-day free trial for new customers.
As we mentioned above, the Packers vs. Bears game will be exclusive to Prime Video. Subscriptions start at $9 a month, but you also get Prime Video access with all Amazon Prime subscriptions, which cost $15 a month. New users can get a 30-day free trial.
The Bills vs. Jaguars game will be broadcast on CBS. Paramount Plus is CBS's streaming counterpart. The Premium tier ($13 a month) is typically needed to unlock CBS live streaming, but NFL games are also available with the Essential plans ($8 a month). New users can get a seven-day free trial.
The Chargers vs. Patriots game will air on NBC. Cord-cutters can live stream the game through Peacock. While you typically need Peacock Premium Plus ($17 a month) to unlock NBC live streaming, you're able to watch NFL games with the Peacock Premium ($11 a month) tier.
The Texans vs. Steelers game will air on both ESPN and ABC. ESPN's direct streaming counterpart is ESPN Unlimited, which costs $30 a month. While the cheaper ESPN Select tier unlocks some action, you'll need to opt for the Unlimited plan to watch this game.
The Rams vs. Panthers and 49ers vs. Eagles games will air on FOX. FOX's direct streaming counterpart is FOX One, which starts at $20 a month and comes with a seven-day free trial.
All games will also be available through NFL Plus, where subscriptions start at $7 a month (or $15 a month for Premium). However, games are only available on mobile devices, like cell phones and tablets, so we recommend one of the above streaming services if you'd like to watch the games on a TV. There's also an opportunity to bundle NFL Plus Premium with ESPN Unlimited for $40 a month, a reduced rate compared to subscribing to each service separately.
Where to watch NFL Wild Card games in the UK and other regions
NFL fans in the UK and other regions can watch every game through DAZN's NFL Game Pass. Subscriptions prices vary by region and plan, but the streaming service will host the entirety of the NFL postseason, including the Super Bowl.
How to watch NFL Wild Card games from anywhere
Football fans don't need to worry about missing out on any of the action just because they're traveling away from home. Viewers can keep up with their usual websites and apps from anywhere with the help of a VPN, or virtual private network. VPNs are easy-to-use tech tools that enable people to change their devices' virtual locations. This way, their usual services work from anywhere the same way they would back home. They're also strong ways to improve online security.
If you're not sure where to start, NordVPN is one of the best apps on the market. It's fast, user-friendly, and offers some solid security features. You can learn more in our NordVPN review, and rest easy knowing that the app comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.