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How to Watch the NFL Playoff Games Online for Free Today, Including Chargers vs. Patriots

By:
Brad Tuttle
6 min read
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, facing the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on October 29, 2017. - Maddie Meyer—Getty Images
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, facing the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on October 29, 2017. Maddie Meyer—Getty Images

There are two NFL playoff games today, and the four teams involved feature three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks among them: Chargers vs. Patriots and Eagles vs. Saints.

The first game today (Sunday, January 13) is Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots. Tom Brady, the 41-year-old all-time great with five Super Bowl titles, will try to get the Patriots one step closer to Super Bowl 2019 with a win today over the Chargers.

Led by 37-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers, the Chargers had a better 2018 regular season record — 12-4, versus 11-5 for the Patriots — but because Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots won their division, they are the home team today. And the fact that the game is being played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is a big reason the Patriots vs. Chargers betting odds indicate the Patriots are 4-point favorites to win in the playoffs today.

The second NFL playoff game today, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints, features last year's Super Bowl-winning quarterback — the Eagles' Nick Foles — and Drew Brees, the Saints' 39-year-old quarterback who led the franchise to a Super Bowl championship in 2010. Foles was the starting quarterback for the 9-7 Eagles during the team's upset Wild Card playoff win over the Chicago Bears last weekend. But the 13-3 Saints are 8.5-point favorites to advance in the playoffs with a victory at home today.

It's easy to watch the NFL playoffs for free on TV. Both NFL games today are being broadcast on major networks, meaning you don't even need cable to watch for free. There are also options for fans to live stream the NFL playoffs for free on phones and tablets, or watch today's NFL games online for free on smart TVs and other screens. Here are all the possibilities.

What's the NFL Playoff Game Schedule Today?

If you're wondering what channel the Chargers vs. Patriots game is on, and what time the NFL playoff games start today, we've got you covered. Here's the NFL playoff schedule for Sunday, January 13:

• Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots, 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS
• Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints, 4:40 p.m. ET on Fox

It's super easy to watch NFL playoff games for free today. Anyone who subscribes to cable TV, satellite TV, or another pay TV package probably gets local broadcasts of free network channels in addition to dozens (or hundreds) of pay channels.

But the channels broadcasting NFL playoff games today on TV are free even if you don't have cable. In most of the country, all you need is a digital antenna hooked up to your TV and placed in a position that'll let you tune in local CBS and Fox stations.

A basic HDTV antenna costs around $25. It'll function like old-fashioned "rabbit ears" antennas, allowing you to tune in hi-def signals of the local affiliates of free, over-the-air broadcast networks, including CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC. The exact rundown of channels you get for free with a digital antenna will vary based on where you live, the kind of HDTV antenna you have, and where the antenna is positioned. But in most of the country, you can watch all the major networks for free with an antenna that costs $30 or less.

How to Live Stream the NFL Playoffs for Free Today

To live stream the NFL playoff games today on your phone, download the NFL App or Yahoo Sports mobile app. Both are totally free to download and let you live stream NFL games —including all playoff games and the 2019 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3 — for free.

Take note that the NFL game live streams from the NFL App and the Yahoo Sports app are available only on smartphones (and sometimes, tablets). So you can't use these apps to live stream the NFL playoffs on a smart TV or any kind of other large screen.

How to Watch the NFL Playoffs Online for Free Today

If you're still struggling to find a way to watch the NFL playoffs today, check out streaming TV services like Fubo TV, Hulu Live, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV.

For those who are unfamiliar, live streaming TV services are alternatives to cable TV packages, with dozens of channels that subscribers stream on any kind of connected device. In most of the country, the streaming services above include local broadcasts of network channels in their packages, alongside "pay TV" channels. Another streaming TV service, Sling TV, includes local Fox and NBC stations in select parts of the country.

Streaming TV subscribers can expect to pay fees starting at $25 to $45 per month. But you can try out most streaming TV services at no cost: New subscribers generally get a free-trial period that last about a week.

If you want to watch the Chargers vs. Patriots and Eagles vs. Saints online for free today, then, you could sign up for a free trial of a streaming TV service. Just remember that if you ultimately decide you do not want to become a paying subscriber, you must cancel before the free trial ends. You'll be charged in full for the first month if you don't cancel in time.

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