Say your goodbyes to your non-football friends and family because the NFL season is about to gear up. Looking ahead, now is the time to figure out the best ways to catch as many games as possible. For new watchers, the options can be dizzying. Do they want to watch using antennas, cable, RedZone, mobile, or at restaurants?
Would they like to watch only on Sundays or on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays? What about the highlights? Is it better to flip through multiple games at once or hone in on one game at a time? Here is a guide for those who wish to catch as much football as possible.
Beginners viewing guide to the 2021 NFL season
NFL Gamepass
For those who truly do not want to miss a second of football, they need an NFL Gamepass. It is a service that allows viewers to watch any of the 289 games in full after they air. On Sundays, there is so much going on at the same time that it is impossible to watch it all at once. However, those who wish can go back and watch each game in its entirety after the broadcast.
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Gamepass also has the option for viewers to watch condensed games. Meaning, viewers can watch a three-hour game in about 40 minutes, since all of the advertisements and breaks between plays are cut out from this version.
As a bonus, Gamepass usually comes with free streams of all of the preseason football games.
NFL Redzone
The next most important purchase is the NFL Redzone. Redzone is a product that jumps between every game on Sundays, allowing viewers to see all of the biggest plays in each game as they happen.
At the end of the seven-hour broadcast, each viewer will have seen every touchdown and highlight play within minutes of it happening. The service is a bit pricey but for the football enthusiast, there is no living without it.
Cable/Antenna
In order to watch every game of the 2021 NFL season, viewers will need cable. This allows them to watch the games on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football, in addition to the late-season games on NFL Network as well as some of the Thursday Night Football games not shown on basic cable.
While cable can be pricey, antennas allow viewers to catch every Sunday Night game on NBC, as well as most Thursday night games with no subscription necessary. Antennas can start as low as one purchase of $20.
NFL app
Sometimes, life cannot be avoided and viewers will need to watch on the go. The NFL app has games for free. The selection is sometimes limited, but beggars cannot be choosers. For those who have Redzone, they can watch it on their phone as well.
When to plan to watch football
The preseason kicks off on August 5, 2021 with the Hall of Fame game. Starting on August 12, preseason games will be on in the evenings on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
September 9th, 2021 is when the regular season kicks off. As a general rule, for the next five months, there will be games on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday almost every week. Around Week 16, there will also be some games on Saturdays in addition to the other days of the week.
The playoffs begin in January. Early on, games are usually played on Saturday and Sunday. After a few weeks, the games are only played on Sundays. The Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, February 13, 2021.