There are many kings of television these days. Some might say that HBO or Netflix are ruling the roost while others might point to The Big Bang Theory or Game of Thrones. But in the end none of these shows compare with the Goliath that is the NFL, particularly the NFL Playoffs.
It’s the time of the year when your favorite team may or may not be participating in the NFL playoffs and even though you vowed not to even watch them this year, you’re probably doing so anyway– for the love of the game, or the hate of your rival.
There are several different ways to watch the NFL playoffs online or streaming via the device of your choosing. As we move into this brave new world of online video consumption the NFL has indeed kept up with the technological times.
Watch the NFL Wildcard Playoff Round Online
The Wildcard round is the first round of the NFL Playoffs where four wildcard teams (meaning those teams that didn’t win their division but made the playoffs anyway) face off against the two worst division leaders of the year. Games are played on both Saturday and Sunday so be sure to check your local listings for the correct time if you’re going to be streaming live.
NFL Playoff games, unlike the regular season, air on network television (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) so that means you’ll have plenty of options for streaming the games online. Find out what channel your game of choice is on and check out one of our guides to watching that channel online. It’s as easy as that!
Live Stream the NFL Divisional Playoff Round
The Divisional Playoff round can also be streamed in the same way as the Wildcard round. They’re always on network television so you can even hook up an antenna to your TV and live stream an HD broadcast for free that way.
We know, that’s probably not what you’re looking for in this day and age and it isn’t very mobile. But if you want to watch the Divisional playoffs offline or online you can always resort to ancient methods!
Are the NFL Playoffs on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon?
Sadly, streaming services like Netflix have not ventured into the sports arena yet. The NFL playoffs may eventually be simulcast on a streaming services like Hulu but in order to reach a massive audience the games need to be available to non-subscribers on network television as well. You won’t find the NFL playoffs or Super Bowl on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon any time soon unless it’s in addition to the regular network live streams.
Watch the Super Bowl Online
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest, if not the biggest television events of the year. There are several different ways to stream the Super Bowl online so we put together a quick guide to walk you through them.
Avoid Illegal NFL Live Streams
It may be tempting to try and stream an NFL game illegally online through one of those illegal live websites purporting to offer the game for free. The problem here is often that these sites contain a ton of popup ads and malware that can cripple your hardware in an instant. If that happens, you won’t be streaming the NFL Playoffs anywhere at all. The NFL is serious about protecting the rights to their property so just be wary of illegal NFL streams for the playoffs. Besides, they usually aren’t in HD and cut out at the most inopportune times.
If you have any other legitimate options for streaming the NFL Playoffs online for free please leave us a comment below with your suggestion.