Baseball might be the national pastime, but everyone knows that the National Football League has been America’s passion for a long time. While most of the heart-pounding action takes place on Sundays, two teams get the national television treatment every week by playing a day later. For the first 35 years of this tradition, the weekly marquee matchup aired on broadcast television, but starting in 2006 the show moved to ESPN, much to the chagrin of cord-cutters everywhere. If you’re one of the millions of people who don’t want their entertainment tethered to the wall, here are a few suggestions on how to watch Monday Night Football without cable.Hulu With Live TVOn a basic level, Hulu is a streaming platform that lets people avoid sunlight by binge-watching their favorite shows in an on-demand capacity, but that’s just a small slice of its capability. For $39.99 per month, you get access to Hulu’s complete library of content along with a lineup of more than 60 channels of live television, including ESPN. As an added bonus, you also get a cloud-based DVR service that lets you record up to 50 hours of programming so you can go to bed if the game is running too long and pick right back up in the morning. Read our full review of Hulu here.YouTube TVGooglehas its hands in more pies than Marie Callender, so it’s only natural that the internet giant would roll out its own skinny-bundle service. Through the YouTube TV platform, you can access dozens of channels, and ESPN is included. While this skinny bundle was previously available in select markets, as of January 23, 2019, people can sign up from anywhere in the United States. For $40 per month you get a complete suite of services:70 channels of programming, including local networksUp to six different accounts for personalized viewingUnlimited cloud-based DVR storageIf you would like to learn more about YouTube TV, you can read our full review of the service here.Sling TVOne of the oldest skinny-bundle products on the market also happens to be the cheapest way to watch Monday Night Football without a cable subscription. With Sling TV, which is a subsidiary of Dish Network, $25 per month will get you a package of 30 channels, including ESPN. It might not be the largest lineup of networks on the market, but you can’t beat that price. Read our full review of Sling TV here.DirecTV NowDish Network might have been the first satellite provider to get into the skinny-bundle market, but it isn’t the only one. Starting in 2016, AT&T launched its own live-streaming television service known as DirecTV Now. If you’re interested in watching Monday Night Football, you’ll be glad to know ESPN is available at the lowest price tier, which will set you back $40 per month. Read our full review of DirecTV Now here.PlayStation VueAfter initial success on its namesake video-game platform, Sony expanded its PlayStation Vue system to be compatible with a number of different streaming devices. Unlike Hulu, you have a few different channel packages to choose from, but ESPN is included in the cheapest tier, which will run you $44.99 per month. The service does come with a free trial to let potential customers test the waters, but it only lasts five days, so pay careful attention to the day you enrolled to avoid unwanted charges. And just in case you were wondering, there’s no video game console required, so you don’t have to fight with your kids when you want to watch the game. Read our full review of PlayStation Vue here.The NFL AppIf you’re going to watch a football game, why not go directly to the source by installing the official NFL app on your tablet or smartphone? Not only do you get access to the weekly Monday-night matchup, but you can also stream your local games as well as the Thursday- and Sunday-night broadcasts. The best thing about this option is the price, as this free service lets you save some extra money for beer and nachos. While this method is convenient for mobile devices, you’ll need to try another method if you want to watch games on your television.Yahoo Sports AppMobile users have another option for streaming Monday Night Football without subscribing to ESPN, as Yahoo Sports has an agreement with the NFL. Simply download the Yahoo app and you’ll get access to the same slate of games that you do on the official league application. The one additional benefit you’ll get over the NFL’s platform is Yahoo’s live scoreboard for every other sport, which means you can easily switch away from the game to curse about your other favorite team. Just like the NFL’s service, this download is free of charge.Skinny BundlesWe’ve covered the ways you can watch football on your mobile devices, but we didn’t win two world wars for you to have to catch the game on a three-inch screen. The increasing quality in televisions is one of the reasons ticket sales have slumped at the stadiums, and you deserve to get that same level of clarity without signing up for an expensive cable subscription. The alternative to traditional television carriers is an online streaming service known as a skinny bundle.When you subscribe to a cable or satellite television provider, you agree to pay for a certain slate of channels as part of your package, even though you have no interest in “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” Skinny bundles allow consumers to buy the networks they desire and stream them without the added costs of unwanted programming driving up the price. As more people cut the cord and sign up for skinny-bundle services, the traditional providers will have to take notice.Since many of these streaming platforms include access to the complete lineup of ESPN channels, you’ll be able to watch Monday Night Football and many of your other favorite sports. You can also use most of these services on a mobile device so you can keep watching television when you’re on the bus, standing in line at the grocery store or trying to remain unnoticed in the corner at a party. The following remaining options are a few of the more popular skinny bundles you can sign up for instead of cable.Lose the Cord Without Losing the ActionWith so many different ways to get your Monday Night Football fix without a cable subscription, the only thing left to do is choose the skinny-bundle package that works best for you. While we can’t do anything about the matchups or commentary team, we can help you get out from under the thumb of expensive television providers, and we can help you do the same.
