The NFL playoffs technically kicked off with wildcards this weekend, and as more NFL playoff games kick off for those who want to watch live on their Android smartphone or tablet, we’ve got you covered.
As we speak today, the Indianapolis Colts face the Cincinnati Bengals, and tonight the Detroit Lions face the Dallas Cowboys. These are some of the top games of the year, and those who want to watch them at work or on the go will be looking for apps and tools to enjoy the games on their smartphones.
The options are a bit limited and not all apps that work on iPhone will work for Android users, but there are still plenty of different ways to get your teams knockout run. Below are a few more options worth checking out, as well as specific cable companies’ practices.
Of course having DirecTV and Sunday Ticket helps and their Android app is hereand while it is one of the best options, it is not the only option available these days.
Everything is available, from unofficial channels to streaming, DirecTV, NFL Mobile and even options from the NFL. Unfortunately it’s still not as easy as it should be, we hope to make improvements next year, but if you need to watch a game on your phone, there are several ways to do it.
NFL Game Rewind
Before we get into all the ways to watch “live” as it’s not as easy as we’d like, one of the options worth checking out is the official NFL Game Rewind pack. This allows you to watch all games (with or without breaks, ads or timeouts) on a variety of devices for an affordable price. You can even pick just your NFL team for just $29.99 an entire season.
You can enjoy it on PC, Android, iOS and even Windows Phone. These are not live but replays of every game for the whole season. You can rewind, fast forward and watch any aspect of the game you want. multiple devices. I prefer to watch live, but if you’re very busy it’s a good start. Buy now Google Play store. This is a good option for catching playoff games on a mobile device if you’re out and about and can’t watch at home.
NFL Mobile
Probably the best option for many is NFL Mobile, something I’ve been using for three years. But as surprising as NFL Mobile is, it’s exclusive to Verizon Wireless customers only. This gives you live videos of tons of games, including Sunday night, prime-time, CBS, and FOX games, all completely free as long as you’re on the Verizon Everything MORE plan. For regular plans, NFL Mobile Premium is just $1.99 per month, something I’m willing to pay. This includes most games all year and will also have all playoff games.
HDMI output is disabled for streaming to the big screen, but we’ll try Chromecast Android screen mirroring soon to see if we can do it that way. This is perfect for those who need to watch the match live and there will be no interruptions during the Playoffs as there are only a few matches. I’ll enjoy a bye week, then wait to see who my Packers play next week.
NFL Mobile has live video, highlights, analysis, team tracking, fantasy alerts and live video of the show “Fantasy Live”. Updated for the 2014 season, get it now. The app is still great for those who aren’t on Verizon for all content, unless you’re a Verizon customer you won’t get real-time live streaming.
Sunday Ticket
this NFL Sunday Ticket Via DirecTV is another excellent option. But not everyone has DirecTV or wants to sign a 2-year contract. For the first time this year they are giving non-subscribers access to the NFL Sunday Pass. This is a standalone package offered at the start of the season, and if you have it, you’re sitting nicely for playoff time. You can get it for the XBox, or there’s a mobile and desktop plan for $199 for the entire NFL season. It’s expensive, but you’ll get every game wherever you are.
Frankly, paying the entire package just to watch the playoffs isn’t ideal, but if you’ve had it all season, it’s your best bet when it comes to catching those all-important games.
Then of course regular DirecTV subscribers get a Sunday Ticket and they just need to download the NFL Sunday Ticket app for their smartphone or tablet, log in and enjoy all the games on the go. If you haven’t already, download it below and enjoy the playoffs from your Android device of choice.
watchESPN
ESPN doesn’t usually broadcast a lot of NFL games, but the WatchESPN Android app is a great option as it often shows games from other channels, and as many noticed last night, ESPN is hosting many playoff games this year. I’ve watched my Packers this way countless times and you can too. You must subscribe to one of the many accepted cable providers. Sign in to your cable account at WatchESPN and stream games live to your smartphone or tablet.
The app works great and even supports Google Chromecast, so mirror these games to your HDTV without any hassle. We’ve seen them show occasional NBC games, and you can catch tons of NCAA College bowl games, too.
NBC Sports Live Extra
The NBC Sports Live Extra app should have live streaming for all playoff games on NBC, but while they’ve had issues with streaming throughout the year, iOS users have had no issues. Hopefully these have been ironed out as they are the most important games for fans.
Fox Sports Go
If you’re a cable subscriber, you’ll be able to catch just about any game from Fox during the playoffs, too. This is called the paywall, where you have to log in and verify your cable subscription to gain access. Unfortunately Fox Go will not work on smartphones, but will stream app playoff games for iOS, Android tablets, Kindle, Windows Tablets and more.
Fox Sports Go streams most sports live to smartphones, but with NFL restrictions you only get them on your Android tablet. Dallas vs Detriot will be on Fox tonight, so give the app a try. The interface is fine and you should be able to capture the action this way if you’re not at home. I won’t be watching NASCAR or MLB if football is on, but these are usually also available on Fox Sports Go.
sling box
Of course Slingbox and Slingplayer are another option for those who have already paid and enjoyed it. This is a device that connects users to the TV service at home, work or anywhere with an internet connection and then streams it through Slingbox servers. this mobile application It’s $15, but if you already have this setup, you can stream any NFL game to any mobile device or browser with ease. Just enter one of the channels with a game you want to enjoy and stream it to your desired device.
This option isn’t cheap, but Slingbox is popular because it works well. While all playoff games are broadcast on TV and attract attention, users should have no problem streaming them to slingbox apps.
