How To Watch the New England Patriots in 2026 Without Cable

Fifteen of the 17 New England Patriots games this season have a network assigned, and all but three of those are on CBS, NBC, or FOX. The exceptions are two Thursday night games on Prime Video and one Monday night game on ESPN. If you’re watching from outside New England, you’ll need NFL Sunday Ticket. This guide covers both — and what each one costs.

The Patriots open 2026 with a Super Bowl rematch. New England went 14–3 in Mike Vrabel’s first season, won the AFC East, and ran through the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos to reach Super Bowl LX before losing 29–13 to Seattle. Vrabel returns for a second year with Drake Maye and newly acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown — and the season kicks off at Seattle on Wednesday, September 9.

What channels do you need to watch the New England Patriots?

Every scheduled New England Patriots regular season game in 2026 airs on CBS, NBC, FOX, Prime Video, or ESPN — eight games on CBS, two on NBC, and two on FOX. The three premium games are Week 7 at Chicago and Week 14 against Minnesota, both Thursday nights on Prime Video, and Week 15 at Kansas City on Monday night on ESPN. Week 17 against Denver and Week 18 against Miami have not been assigned a network yet.

Two games sit outside the usual Sunday afternoon window. New England opens the season at Seattle on Wednesday, September 9 — a Super Bowl LX rematch, on NBC — and plays Detroit in Munich in Week 10, kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET on FOX.

Here’s the full schedule with the channel for each game.

Game (All times Eastern)	Opponent	Channel
Preseason Week 1: Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts	WBZ / Patriots Preseason Network
Preseason Week 2: Aug. 22 at 7:00 p.m.	Philadelphia Eagles	WBZ / Patriots Preseason Network
Preseason Week 3: Aug. 27 at 8:00 p.m.	@ Cleveland Browns	Prime Video
Week 1, Game 1: Sep. 9 at 8:20 p.m. (Wednesday)	@ Seattle Seahawks	NBC
Week 2, Game 2: Sep. 20 at 1:00 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers	CBS
Week 3, Game 3: Sep. 27 at 1:00 p.m.	@ Jacksonville Jaguars	CBS
Week 4, Game 4: Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m.	@ Buffalo Bills	CBS
Week 5, Game 5: Oct. 11 at 1:00 p.m.	Las Vegas Raiders	CBS
Week 6, Game 6: Oct. 18 at 1:00 p.m.	New York Jets	CBS
Week 7, Game 7: Oct. 22 at 8:15 p.m.	@ Chicago Bears	Prime Video
Week 8, Game 8: Nov. 1 at 4:25 p.m.	@ Miami Dolphins	CBS
Week 9, Game 9: Nov. 8 at 4:25 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	FOX
Week 10, Game 10: Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. (Munich)	Detroit Lions	FOX
Week 11: BYE WEEK	—	—
Week 12, Game 11: Nov. 29 at 8:20 p.m.	@ Los Angeles Chargers	NBC
Week 13, Game 12: Dec. 6 at 4:25 p.m.	Buffalo Bills	CBS
Week 14, Game 13: Dec. 10 at 8:15 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	Prime Video
Week 15, Game 14: Dec. 21 at 8:15 p.m.	@ Kansas City Chiefs	ESPN
Week 16, Game 15: Dec. 27 at 1:00 p.m.	@ New York Jets	CBS
Week 17, Game 16: Date TBD	Denver Broncos	TBD
Week 18, Game 17: Date TBD	Miami Dolphins	TBD

What it costs to watch every New England Patriots game

The Patriots play three “premium” games this season — two on Prime Video and one on ESPN — and covering all three costs $111.92 for the season, or $42.97 if you subscribe and cancel around each game. Every other scheduled game is on CBS, NBC, or FOX.

Premium games are the ones whose broadcast rights have been bought by streaming platforms: Monday and Thursday night matchups, international games, and holiday matchups.

Where you’re watching	What you need	Cost for the 2026-2027 season
In the Boston market, with cable or live TV already	Prime Video for the two Thursday games, plus ESPN Select for Week 15 — your existing service carries CBS, NBC, and FOX	$111.92 (or $42.97 subscribing and cancelling around each game)
In the Boston market, starting from scratch	A live TV streaming service carrying local CBS, NBC, and FOX (Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or DIRECTV Stream), plus Prime Video and ESPN Select	$383–$472 for the season, depending on service
Outside the Boston market	NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV, plus Prime Video and ESPN Select	$721.87 for new subscribers $904.87 for returning subscribers

Sunday afternoon games are assigned by region, so CBS and FOX show different matchups depending on where you live. If you’re outside New England, your local channels will usually be carrying another team, which is why out-of-market fans need Sunday Ticket to get every Patriots game.

Watching out-of-market games

The NFL makes it challenging to watch your favorite team if you don't live close to its home market. If you're a New England Patriots fan outside the region, here are two ways to watch out-of-market games:

How to stream New England Patriots games

Watching the New England Patriots with YouTube TV

Watching the New England Patriots with Hulu

Watching the New England Patriots with Fubo

Watching the New England Patriots with DIRECTV Stream

Bottom line

If you’re in the Boston market, most of the season costs you nothing beyond the TV service you already have — 12 of the 15 scheduled games are on CBS, NBC, or FOX. The three exceptions are Weeks 7 and 14 on Prime Video and Week 15 on ESPN.

Outside New England, your local CBS and FOX affiliates will be carrying other teams most Sundays, so NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV is the only way to get every game.

Weeks 17 and 18 still don’t have networks assigned, and the NFL can move games into prime time late in the season, so it’s worth checking back before those weeks.

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