Welcome to Week 16! The NFL playoffs are on the horizon, with two games today followed by the full slate tomorrow. The biggest game of the day is the NFC North showdown between longtime rivals Chicago and Green Bay, which begins tonight at 8:20pm ET (5:20pm PT) and will be broadcast nationally on Fox.
On Sunday, the Bills will look to build off of last Sunday’s win over the Patriots and keep the pressure on their AFC East rivals. The Bills are in Cleveland to take on the Browns, who are in the middle of another lost season but are still worth watching as Myles Garrett is closing in on the NFL single-season record. The Bills-Browns game will be shown in most of the country as a 1 PM ET (10 AM PT) game on CBS, followed in almost every market by the Steelers-Lions game at 4:25 PM ET (1:25 PM PT) on CBS.
It’s more mixed for Fox’s single Sunday game, but the game that will be shown in most regions is Chargers and Cowboys starting at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), according to Coverage map on 506 Sports.
If you find yourself less interested in games broadcast in your area or your access is blocked due to a website glitch, there is an option to watch another game that doesn’t require a subscription to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus, or search the Internet for an obscure website: you can use a virtual private network. With a VPN, you can watch any of today’s games from anywhere.
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers in their first meeting of the season and have a chance for revenge on Saturday night at home.
How to watch NFL Week 16 from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to watch this weekend’s matches locally due to… Incorrectly applied dimming restrictionsyou may need a different way to watch. This is where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to prevent your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, plus it’s a great idea when you’re traveling and find yourself connected to Wi-Fi, and want to add an extra layer of privacy to your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you can physically change your location on your phone, tablet, or laptop to access the game. So, if your ISP or mobile carrier gives you an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct this problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout zone. Most VPNs, like ours Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPNmake it very easy to do.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET As Google’s preferred source.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sporting events is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should make sure your VPN is set up properly to prevent leaks. Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems circumventing properly enforced blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some other cool stuff VPN Deals Running now.
price $13 per month, $75 for the first year or $98 total for the first two years (one- or two-year plans renew at $100 per year)Latest tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 testsJurisdiction British Virgin Islandsnetwork Over 3,000 servers in 105 countries
ExpressVPN is our current top VPN choice for people who want a reliable and secure VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 per month on a 2-year plan for the basic tier of the service.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Plan to watch football on the weekend
The weekend slate arrives a day early with two games on Saturday. Both are NFC clashes, and you can watch them on your local Fox channel or the Fox One streaming service.
NFL Week 16 schedule on Saturday
| The away team | Home team | Time (Eastern time) | TV channel | Streaming service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | Washington leaders | 5 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Green Bay Packers | Chicago Bears | 8:20 pm | Fox | Fox One |
On Sunday, there are seven games starting at 1pm ET (10am PT) on CBS and Fox today, followed by four games in the late window before we get to Sunday night’s game on NBC and Peacock.
NFL Week 16 schedule Sunday
| The away team | Home team | Time (Eastern time) | TV channel | Streaming service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | Cleveland Browns | 1 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Tennessee Titans | 1 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Miami Dolphins | 1 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| New York Jets | New Orleans Saints | 1 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Dallas Cowboys | 1 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Minnesota Vikings | New York Giants | 1 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Carolina Panthers | 1 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Denver Broncos | 4:05 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Atlanta Falcons | Arizona Cardinals | 4:05 pm | Fox | Fox One |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Detroit Lions | 4:25 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| las vegas raiders | houston texas | 4:25 pm | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| New England Patriots | Baltimore Ravens | 8:20 pm | nbc | peacock |
How to watch NFL Week 16 in the US
If you don’t want to subscribe to a live TV service, you can watch CBS games with Paramount Plus, Fox games with Fox One, and NBC games with Peacock.
Football fans can stream CBS’ Sunday afternoon football schedule each week of the season on Paramount Plus with the $8-per-month Essentials tier. You can check for yourself if your area has CBS live here.
Read our Paramount Plus review.
Fox’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service costs $20 a month or $200 a year and allows NFL fans to watch their local Sunday afternoon games on Fox. You’ll also have access to the full Fox TV lineup, including sports-related channels like Fox Sports, B1G, FS1, FS2, and local Fox stations.
With Peacock’s $11-per-month premium plan, you can watch tonight’s game and every Sunday Night Football game this season. Read Peacock’s review.
The best live TV services for NFL fans
While subscriptions to Paramount Plus, Fox One and Peacock are cheaper than the live TV streaming service, the advantage of the latter is the ability to quickly switch between CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoon when two games are playing at the same time. Turning off one streaming service and turning on another is so much slower and more annoying, that it’s not worth switching to the other game during a commercial break for the game you’re watching.
The good news for football fans is that CBS and Fox are available on most live TV services along with NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network for SNF, MNF and international NFL games.
DirecTV’s MySports plan costs $70 per month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and NFL Network, the main channels you need to watch NFL games on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays of every week of the season. You can’t get the RedZone add-on with the MySports plan but you will need to sign up for the full package of $85 per month and then add RedZone for an additional $15 per month.
You can use DirecTV Channel search tool To find out the local channels available where you live. Read our DirecTV review.
YouTube TV carries all the channels needed to watch the NFL and costs $83 per month, and you can add RedZone for an additional $11 per month.
YouTube TV is also the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that the Sunday Pass does not include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that are not broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football games on Sunday, you’ll need a Sunday Pass plus a YouTube TV subscription (or just get the Sunday Pass and then use an antenna for local games).
Connect your zip to YouTube TV Welcome page To know the local networks available in your area.
Fubo’s main package costs $85 per month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and NFL Network. You can also add RedZone for an additional $11 per month.
Fubo has a new slim bundle that includes most of the channels you need for the NFL. The new Fubo Sports plan costs $56 per month ($46 for the first month) and includes all the above channels except NBC for Sunday Night Football. It also includes access to ESPN’s new streaming app. It is worth noting that the package is only available in certain regions at the moment, with a gradual rollout across the country.
Click here Find out what local channels you get in your area with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
All of the live TV services mentioned above allow you to cancel at any time and require a strong internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our guide to live TV streaming services.
Quick tips for streaming the NFL using a VPN
- With four variables at play — ISP, browser, video streaming provider, and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as ExpressVPN’s default option, try using the “Search for a city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble accessing the game after turning on your VPN and setting it to the correct viewing region, there are two quick solutions you can try. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure that the address registered for the account is within the correct viewing region. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps that you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll need to install a VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device connected to its Wi-Fi network will now appear in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing a VPN on your router. In some cases with Smart TV Services, after installing the cable network’s sports app, you will be asked to verify a digital code or click on a link sent to the email address on file for your Smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router can also come in handy, as both devices will appear in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often reveal location despite using a VPN, so make sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to sign in to your services. We usually recommend brave.