Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

Don’t miss the Baltimore Ravens at the New Orleans Saints this Monday November 7th at 8:15 pm (EDT) on ESPN. See our complete viewer’s guide!

Monday Night Football is back with the start of the 2022 regular season! And it is not necessary to be tied to a cable contract to enjoy every game. Read on to learn all your options.

In a hurry? If you don’t care to dive into details like cloud DVR storage and device choices, these three streaming services will allow you to enjoy not just Monday Night Football but the whole NFL season and more:

  • FuboTV: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 120+ well-selected channels. FuboTV allows you to try out its service free for 7 days.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that covers this sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the content you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

  • ExpressVPN: Premium VPN provider that just works, with 3,000+ locations in 94 countries. Supports five simultaneous devices and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. (ExpressVPN review)
  • Surfshark: Connect to over 3,200 servers in 99 countries (+ tonnes of US metro areas). Try it with a 7-day free trial.
  • NordVPN: Connect to over 5,000 premium servers in 60+ countries. Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee!

If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

Table Of Contents

  • 1 About Monday Night Football
  • 2 How to Watch Monday Night Football Without Cable TV
  • 3 Other Options to Watch Monday Night Football Without Cable
  • 4 Devices and TVs to Live Stream Monday Night Football
  • 5 Monday Night Football Schedule
  • 6 Summing Up
  • 7 FAQs

When Monday Night Football started on ABC back in 1970, it was a very big deal. NFL games that were at night on a weekday — revolutionary! Now with Thursday Night Footballand Sunday Night Football, it isn’t as unusual. But it’s still an important event for football fans.

In 2006, Monday Night Football moved to ESPN. Because of its long association with cable, some fans might be concerned about ditching cable. But ESPN is well supported by streaming services.

You can live stream Monday Night Football without cable with FuboTV (free for 7 days) and DIRECTV STREAM (5-day free trial). Check out our guide for how to watch Monday Night Football online below!

On-Air Talent

Fresh from Fox Sports, veteran NFL sportscaster Joe Buck provides play-by-play coverage with former Cowboys quarterback and Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman on color commentary. This new lead team is replacing Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, and Brian Griese.

Levy and Riddick, along with Dan Orlovsky, will continue calling ESPN NFL games on the #2 team. Lisa Salters continues as sideline reporter.

ESPN’s pregame show is Monday Night Countdown, featuring Suzy Kolber, Steve Young, Robert Griffin III, Booger McFarland, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter.

Manningcast

Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, or as it’s better known, the Manningcast, is broadcast on both ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The popular alternate telecast starring Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning debuted in 2021, and won a Sports Emmy Award in 2022. It runs ten games per season.

The Brothers Manning are contracted to return through the 2023-24 season, so you can look forward to at least another season of the Manningcast after this one.

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If you can’t watch your favorite events or teams because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.

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How to Watch Monday Night Football Without Cable TV

A total of 5 games of the 2022 NFL season on Monday Night Football will air on ABC as well as ESPN. So those games can be viewed if you have an antenna. Otherwise, ESPN is the only option (see below for the major exception).

If you don’t have cable, your two best bets to watch Monday Night Football are FuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM. Both options have access to ESPN live streaming all season long. And they both have trial offers that let you try out the service for several days.

The low-cost option is Sling TV. For just $40.00/mo, Sling Orange gives you 30+ live TV channels including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3.

Because these are streaming-only services, you don’t need cable, just a good internet connection. Once they’re set up, you can live stream Monday Night Football and a number of your other favorites. And, they work with the most popular streaming devices and TVs, which you probably already have.

If you want complete access to the season, see our NFL Out-of-Market Game Guide.

FuboTV

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

NFL Channels ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, NBC, NFL Network
Total Channels 120+
Cloud DVR 1,000 hours
Simultaneous Screens 10 (home) and 2 (away)
Free Trial
FuboTV Price $69.99/mo

One of the best ways to live stream Monday Night Football is FuboTV (free for 7 days). It is great for sports fans. Of its over 120 channels, over 35 are sports-focused. And its base plan includes ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, all the channels you might want for Monday Night Football.

For $69.99/mo, Fubo offers all the channels you need to watch the NFL: CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and NFL Network. For an extra $10.99/mo, you can get the Sports Plus add-on. This provides you with NFL RedZone as well as 25+ other live sports channels including MLB Network, NBA TV, 4 Stadium channels, 7 Pac-12 channels, and more.

Find out more in our FuboTV articles:

  • FuboTV Review
  • FuboTV Packages
  • FuboTV Local Channels
  • FuboTV Devices.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?
Monday Night Football preview on FuboTV.

Sling TV

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

Base Channels ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
Total Channels 30+
Cloud DVR 50 hours
Simultaneous Screens 1
Free Trial ❌ (Save 50% on Sling TV!)
Sling TV Price $40.00/mo

Sling TV is a great option if you are on a budget. They offer two plans for $40.00/mo each. Sling Orange offers ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. Sling Blue offers Fox, NBC, and NFL Network. You can get the two together for $55.00/mo for a total of 50+ channels. This last plan is the one most football fans will want.

Although Sling TV does not offer ABC, you won’t miss anything from ABC Sports since it is all simulcast on ESPN3, which Sling TV does provide.

The hole in its NFL coverage is CBS. You can get around this, however, by integrating your Sling TV interface either with an antenna or Paramount+. But even without this, Sling TV represents one of the best deals in the industry and is fantastic for Monday Night Football.

Find out more about Sling TV in the following article:

  • Sling TV Review
  • Sling TV Packages
  • Sling TV Local Channels
  • Sling TV Devices.

Save 50% on Sling TV

DIRECTV STREAM

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

NFL Channels ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, NBC
Total Channels 75+
Cloud DVR Unlimited*
Simultaneous Screens Unlimited
Free Trial
AT&T TV Price $69.99/mo
* Online sign-up required.

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly ATT&T TV, AT&T NOW, and DirecTV NOW) is $69.99/mo for 75+ channels, which include all the base NFL channels including the local channels. The one major exception is NFL Network, which it doesn’t offer. This isn’t a huge issue, however, and we expect it to be available next year.

DIRECTV STREAM might be a good service to use if you are interested in more than just football. For baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer fans, it offers the best availability of regional sports networks (RSNs) in the industry. To get access, you need to upgrade to their Choice plan for $89.99/mo (100+ channels). But in many areas, it is the only option.

The base plan allows you to watch all of Monday Night Football. To learn more about DIRECTV STREAM, check out the following:

  • DIRECTV STREAM Review
  • DIRECTV STREAM Packages
  • DIRECTV STREAM Local Channels
  • DIRECTV STREAM Devices.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Hulu + Live TV

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

NFL Channels ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, NBC, NFL Network
Total Channels 85+
Cloud DVR Unlimited
Simultaneous Screens 2
Free Trial
Hulu Price $69.99/mo

Everyone knows Hulu because of its industry-leading on-demand streaming service. Hulu + Live TV offers this along with 85+ live TV channels for $69.99/mo. This includes all the channels you need to watch the NFL including Monday Night Football.

And if that isn’t enough, all Hulu Live subscribers get Disney+ and ESPN+.

Hulu + Live TV also allows you to get NFL RedZone. It is only $9.99/mo extra but comes with an underwhelming selection of 5 other channels: MAVTV, Sportsman Channel, Outdoor Channel, TVG, and TVG2. But that’s a good price for RedZone alone.

There’s lots more to know about Hulu + Live TV; check out the following:

  • Hulu + Live TV Review
  • Hulu + Live TV Packages
  • Hulu + Live TV Local Channels
  • Hulu + Live TV Devices.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Vidgo

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?

NFL Channels ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, NFL Network
Total Channels 100+
Cloud DVR
Simultaneous Screens 3
Free Trial
Vidgo Price $59.95/mo

Vidgo offers a good selection of channels for just $59.95/mo. And it is filled with channels for live sports. It offers 5 ESPN channels including ESPN2 and ESPNU. They also provide a bunch of college-oriented channels: ACC Network, BYU TV, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and more.

Do get NFL RedZone, you need to upgrade to the Premium plan for :vidgo-price-premium. The downside of Vidgo is that it does not offer access to CBS and NBC. And only the Premium plan includes a cloud DVR.

If you want more information about Vidgo, check out our articles:

  • Vidgo Review
  • Vidgo Packages
  • Vidgo Local Channels
  • Vidgo Devices.

Try Vidgo Today!

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?
NFL Live underway, shown through Vidgo’s TV guide.

Other Options to Watch Monday Night Football Without Cable

While these are our top recommendations for live streaming Monday Night Football, there are other options of varying levels of acceptability:

  • NFL+: Live stream all local and primetime games, including Monday Night Football, for just $4.99/mo.
  • Antenna: In most areas, you can get ABC in high definition over the air (OTA). This will only allow you to watch a small number of episodes of Monday Night Football (see below) but it’s a good option for watching a lot of other games.
  • ESPN App: This is a great way to catch Monday Night Football on the go. However, you will need to have a streaming service account to login via TV Everywhere.
  • YouTube TV: A full cable-replacement streaming service very similar to Hulu + Live TV.

There are other ways to watch the NFL outside of Monday Night Football. You should consider Paramount+, for example, to live stream the games on your local CBS affiliate.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Devices and TVs to Live Stream Monday Night Football

Can you watch Monday Night Football without a TV provider?
Android running Sling TV with NFL choices.

Over the past couple of years, the streaming industry has gotten very serious about supporting the hardware that is in use. You can live stream Monday Night Football on most streaming devices.

TVs and TV Devices

The most direct way to use a streaming service is to run it directly with your TV. Other than Vidgo, all the services support recent Samsung smart TVs. FuboTV, Hulu, and Sling also support VIZIO SmartCast TVs and LG TVs. And FuboTV supports Hisense TVs.

All the streaming services except DIRECTV STREAM support units that run the Android TV operating system.

But if you are like most people, you probably have a little TV “stick” that you connect to your TV. All the streaming services support these:

  • Amazon Fire TV
  • Apple TV
  • Roku.

Mobile Devices

If you want to live stream Monday Night Football on your phone, you can do that too. Everyone supports the major models:

  • Android Phones
  • iOS devices (iPhones, iPads).

All the major web browsers are universally supported: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. If you want, you can use a labtop to live stream and then send it to your TV — either by connecting an HDMI cable or by casting.

Similarly, all the services support Chromecast, which allows your TV to accept video casting from your phone.

Gaming Consoles

If you want to use your gaming console to live stream Monday Night Football, that’s not a problem. FuboTV, Hulu, and Sling all support the Xbox. Hulu also supports the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Echo Show. And Sling TV supports the Oculus.

Monday Night Football Schedule

Let’s look at this year’s great schedule. There will only be one Monday Night preseason matchup (Atlanta at the Jets during the second week of the preseason). There is also likely be one Monday Night playoff game.

All MNF games air on ESPN, ABC, or both. If you don’t have access to ABC, these games are simulcast on ESPN3. Sling TV offers this through its own interface but you can get access to it via TV Everywhere with all the other services.

Here is the complete schedule as we know it. Times are all Eastern.

  • August 22 8:00 pm: Atlanta Falcons (16) at New York Jets (24) (ESPN)
  • September 12 8:15 pm: Denver Broncos (16) at Seattle Seahawks (17) (ESPN, ABC)
  • September 19 7:15 pm: Tennessee Titans (7) at Buffalo Bills (41) (ESPN)
  • September 19 8:30 pm: Minnesota Vikings (7) at Philadelphia Eagles (24) (ABC)
  • September 26 8:15 pm: Dallas Cowboys (23) at New York Giants (16) (ESPN, ABC)
  • October 3 8:15 pm: Los Angeles Rams (9) at San Francisco 49ers (24) (ESPN)
  • October 10 8:15 pm: Las Vegas Raiders (29) at Kansas City Chiefs (30) (ESPN)
  • October 17 8:15 pm: Denver Broncos (16) at Los Angeles Chargers (19) (ESPN)
  • October 24 8:15 pm: Chicago Bears (33) at New England Patriots (14) (ESPN)
  • October 31 8:15 pm: Cincinnati Bengals (13) at Cleveland Browns (32) (ESPN)
  • November 7 8:15 pm: Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints (ESPN)
  • November 14 8:15 pm: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN)
  • November 21 8:15 pm: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (ESPN)
  • November 28 8:15 pm: Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (ESPN)
  • December 5 8:15 pm: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN)
  • December 12 8:15 pm: New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals (ESPN)
  • December 19 8:15 pm: Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (ESPN, ABC)
  • December 26 8:15 pm: Los Angeles Chargers at Indianapolis Colts (ESPN)
  • January 2 8:30 pm: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN, ABC)

Superpower Your Streaming With a VPN

For the sake of privacy, security, and access, you should be using a VPN. They are low-cost and easy to use. We’ve been using them for years and our top pick is ExpressVPN.

Summing Up

If you want to watch Monday Night Football, you need ESPN. Thankfully, ESPN is available in the base plans of most streaming services. And they normally come with the other channels you need to enjoy the whole NFL season and more.

If you have any questions, ask us in the comments. Otherwise: what are you waiting for? Cut the cord today!

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

FAQs

Can I watch Monday Night Football online for free?

Simply put, no. MNF is exclusively licensed to ESPN, and ESPN is only available through paid TV providers. Several streaming TV providers offer free trials, which you could take advantage of to get a couple free weeks. A handful of games will be simulcast on ABC, and you could watch those for free if you have an antenna.

In addition, games in which your home team is playing are aired on your local network affiliate (ABC in the case of MNF). For example, if the Bills are playing (as they are in Week 2), viewers in Buffalo should be able to tune into their local ABC stations to watch the game, no ESPN necessary.

How can I watch Monday Night Football live?

Monday Night Football is broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 (the Manningcast described above), and ESPN+. Spanish-language coverage is on ESPN Deportes. You can also live stream it on your phone or tablet with NFL+. And select games will be simulcast on ABC: Week 1 Broncos vs. Seahawks, Week 3 Cowboys vs. Giants, Week 15 Rams vs. Packers, and Week 17 Bills vs. Bengals. Week 2’s matchup between the Vikings and the Eagles will air only on ABC.

You can also check out MNF on the ESPN app or the website espn.com.

Which channel(s) carry Monday Night Football?

ESPN airs almost all Monday Night Football games. Sometimes, ABC will also air it. You can also watch Monday Night Football on your phone or tablet with NFL+. But generally, if you want to enjoy Monday Night Football in all its glory, you should get a streaming service that offers ESPN like FuboTV or Hulu + Live TV.

Can I watch Monday Night Football without ESPN?

You could watch the five games that are being simulcast on ABC. If you live within range of your local ABC affiliate, you could watch those five, plus any games in which your home team is playing, totally free with an antenna. But the majority of the games will air exclusively on ESPN and its sister channels. 

What is the kickoff time for Monday Night Football?

Monday Night Countdown gets the ball rolling, so to speak, at 6:00 pm. Kickoff is at 8:15 pm Eastern for most games, with three exceptions: Week 2 Titans vs. Bills (7:15 pm), Week 2 Vikings vs. Eagles (8:30 pm, on ABC only, not ESPN), and Week 11 49ers vs. Cardinals (8:00 pm). All times are in Eastern time zone.

How can I watch Monday Night Football on my smart TV?

The major streaming services allow you to live stream Monday Night Football on your smart TV. The two best services for support are FuboTV and Hulu. But even services without great support allow you to cast from your phone to your smart TV. And this is incredibly easy to do — basically just the click of a button.

Can I watch ESPN without cable?

You can definitely watch ESPN without cable. It doesn’t seem like it though. ESPN is, after all, a “cable channel.” But that term doesn’t mean much anymore. Most “cable channels” are available from streaming services like Sling TV. And ESPN is widely available. Every major live TV streaming service offers it.

Is Monday Night Football on Amazon?

Amazon Prime is streaming almost all the Thursday Night Footballgames starting in 2022. It has exclusive rights to one preseason game and 15 regular-season games. But these are the only NFL games that Amazon will live stream. But this means 2022 will be the first year that it won’t be possible to watch all of the NFL season with cable alone.

Can I watch Monday Night Football with an antenna?

You can watch Monday Night Football via antenna when it airs on ABC. However, this is a minority of games. In the 2022 season, it will only broadcast five games of the regular season. However, local market games will air on ABC in those markets. So if you live in Tampa Bay and the Buccaneers are on Monday Night Football, it should air on your local ABC affiliate and should be available OTA via antenna.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

How can I watch my favorite NFL team without cable?

We’ve created articles for every NFL team with all you need to know to watch without cable:

AFC East AFC North AFC South AFC West
Buffalo Bills Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins Cincinnati Bengals Indianapolis Colts Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots Cleveland Browns Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Chargers
New York Jets Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East NFC North NFC South NFC West
Dallas Cowboys Chicago Bears Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals
New York Giants Detroit Lions Carolina Panthers Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles Green Bay Packers New Orleans Saints San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers Seattle Seahawks

More Info on NFL Without Cable

If you still have questions, these resources should help:

  • Watch the NFL Combine Online Without Cable
  • Watch the NFL Draft Online Without Cable
  • Watch the NFL Preseason Without Cable
  • Watch Out of Market NFL Games Without Cable
  • Watch NFL Honors Without Cable
  • Watch NFL in Canada.

Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord

  1. Pick the right streaming service
  2. Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
  3. Supercharge your internet provider

That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

  • Author
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Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at Psychotronic Review — and many other places.

How can I watch MNF without a TV provider?

Local channels CBS, NBC and Fox are included in many markets, and ESPN and the NFL Network are also included so you can watch Sundays and Monday nights. The next best options are FuboTV and Hulu Plus Live TV; both offer the same channels as YouTube TV for NFL fans, but for $70 a month.

Can you watch Monday Night Football on regular TV?

Monday Night Football is exclusive to ESPN and its sister networks, like ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes.

Can I watch NFL without a TV provider?

You can watch select NFL games without a cable subscription via live TV streaming services and platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Peacock Premium, and NFL+.

Where can I watch Monday Night Football Besides ESPN?

Where to watch Monday Night Football.