Reddit‘s 5 Best NFL Streams Are Amazing

The History of NFL Streaming on Reddit

Reddit has long been a hotbed for NFL fans to discuss games, teams, and all things football. In recent years, numerous subreddits popped up dedicated specifically to sharing free NFL live stream links.

Two of the most popular were r/nflstreams and r/nflstreamlinks, which both attracted over 400,000 subscribers at their peak. Fans could visit these subreddits and find free HD streams for every NFL game airing that week. It became the go-to gameday ritual for cord-cutters and NFL fans abroad hungry for any football access.

However, in 2019, under increasing pressure from the NFL and media companies, Reddit banned the practice of sharing unauthorized NFL streams. The famous subreddits were taken down.

Still, the demand for free NFL streams has only grown in recent years as more fans move away from expensive cable contracts. The NFL recognizes this trend too – they struck a partnership with Yahoo in 2021 for exclusive rights to distribute Sunday Ticket, the premier NFL live streaming product, as fans cry out for cheaper and more flexible viewing options.

To fill this demand, a number of unauthorized streaming sites have popped up offering free access to NFL games outside of Reddit. And the NFL streaming landscape continues to rapidly evolve heading into 2023.

Overview of the Issues Facing NFL Streaming

While free NFL live streams on Reddit were extremely popular, there were good reasons why Reddit needed to ban the practice. Streaming copyrighted NFL game broadcasts without authorization violates copyright law. Reddit likely faced increasing legal pressure, wanting to avoid being a haven for illegal content.

There were also technical headaches involved with maintaining reliable HD streams for all games. It required dedicated streamers willing to risk legal repercussions. Streams would frequently lag, buffer, or get taken down during games.

For fans, beyond legal risks, these free streaming sites can be riddled with intrusive ads and even malware that can compromise devices. As unofficial sites sprang up to replace banned Reddit subs, these risks have only grown.

That‘s why we always recommend officially licensed streaming options first for the best viewing experience. Keep reading as we break down 5 top places for NFL live streams in 2023.

1. NFL App & RedZone

The official NFL app available on mobile and smart TV devices offers live local and primetime regular season, as well as playoff games and Super Bowl LVI for free. That alone is an incredible value compared to old cable packages.

You can also access the beloved NFL RedZone Channel, showing the best live moments from around the league each Sunday, via the app. RedZone broadcasts each Sunday during the regular season start at 1 PM Eastern.

For $34.99, you get can get the full season of RedZone action. And special offers for RedZone are typically available to subscribers of streaming cable replacement services, like Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.

The NFL app used to only allow local game streaming on phones, requiring cable provider authentication, but this season access has expanded.

While some blackout rules impacting local games exist, the NFL app remains a top option for cord-cutters to legally stream football.

2. NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming (Now Exclusive to YouTube)

Starting in 2023, Sunday Ticket is moving exclusively to YouTube, replacing its deal with DirecTV for being the sole home to this famous football package for the past 3 decades.

The NFL Sunday Ticket package from the NFL offers access to watch ANY Sunday afternoon game happening around the league. No cable provider offer matches this level of live NFL action.

Previously only available to DirectTV satellite subscribers or famously those with a ".edu" university email address verification for students, Sunday Ticket will now have multiple streaming subscription options available to all fans through YouTube beginning at $79.99/month or $293.99 for all of the 2023 NFL season.

YouTube will also continue offering a premium tier Sunday Ticket package bundled with NFL RedZone access for the big fantasy football fans out there.

3. SportSurge

When the popular Reddit subs for free NFL live streams got banned, a website called SportSurge was created by members of the passionate Reddit NFL streaming community to pick up the torch.

SportSurge features free HD NFL live streams from around the web, sourced by its community. Streams for all primetime, Sunday night, Thursday night and Sunday afternoon games can be found every week at SurgeSports.

The site doesn‘t host any stream content itself but aggregates streams from external sites. Visitors should install an adblocker to prevent excessive ads from interrupting viewing. Compared to the RedZone offering from the NFL app, Surge provides more minimalist free access to games, but higher risks to consider.

4. NFL Game Pass International to Access All Games

Our 4th option enters legally gray areas but presents incredible value.

While NFL Game Pass domestic allows you to replay any NFL game after it airs 48 hours later, it does not include live regular season, playoff or Super Bowl games as part of the package.

However, the international version of NFL Game Pass available in Europe DOES include access to stream live NFL games.

For $181/year, you can currently subscribe to the international NFL Game Pass and use a VPN service to route your internet traffic to make it appear like you are accessing the content from Europe. This provides legal streaming access to literally every NFL game happening in real-time.

The international NFL Game Pass is the holy grail for cord cutters looking for RedZone level convenience to watch their favorite teams and players each Sunday. For diehard football fans, it‘s worth learning to navigate VPN services like ExpressVPN or NordVPN that unlock this capability.

5. NFL Streaming Sites Summary

Here‘s a quick comparison of some of the NFL streaming options mentioned:

	Price (Annually)	All Games Live?	Reliability
NFL App	Free (Local Games)	No	High
Sunday Ticket (YouTube)	$293.99	Out-of-Market Games	High
Red Zone (NFL App)	$34.99	No	High
SportSurge	Free	Varies	Medium
Intl Game Pass (VPN)	$181	Yes	High

No single solution delivers the same breadth of NFL content as what the banned Reddit subs provided in years past for free. But hopefully this guide has broken down all the legitimate ways cord cutters can watch NFL games without cable in 2023.

Stay tuned as new streaming partnerships and packages emerge in the coming years!