After 7 long months, regular season NFL football is officially back. The 2021 NFL season will be the first with a 17-game regular season spread across 18 weeks. Teams will only have one bye week and the top-2 teams in each conference will qualify for a bye week in the opening round of the playoffs.
The 2021 NFL season will kick off with the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys.Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady versus Father Time is one of the major storyline heading into the season opener. This will be the 21st season in the league for Brady, who just turned 44, and is coming off of his historic 7th Super Bowl victory across 10 appearances. The last time a team won back-to-back Super Bowls was when Tom Brady quarterbacked the Patriots during their 2003 and 2004 campaigns.
His opponent’s starting QB is Dak Prescott. Dak was playing at an MVP level before suffering a gruesome season-ending leg injury. Prescott hasn’t played a single snap since injuring his leg in Week 5 against the Giants last season. He was also absent the entire preseason due to spraining his right shoulder at practice back in July. Prescott is expected to be the Cowboys QB of the future since the club has signed him to a four-year extension worth 160 million with $126 million guaranteed. It pays to be QB of America’s Team, his $66 million signing bonus is the highest in NFL history.
Fans will be back in attendance throughout the league; however, cord cutters can find out how to watch every single moment of the 2021 NFL season opener, below.
When is the NFL Season Opener?
Kickoff for the first game of the 2021 NFL season between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET, live from Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa. Florida, on Thursday, September 9, 2021, on NBC.
How to Watch the 2021 NFL Season Opener
NBC will be broadcasting the live telecast of the 2021 NFL season opener, which most households can watch for free with an antenna. AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to see what channels are available in your area with an antenna.
Fans can watch the Cowboys-Buccaneers game with their phone or tablet by using the Yahoo Sports App. The app also allows fans to invite up to 3 friends for a watch party while watching on your phone. Some geographical restrictions may apply.
Cord cutters can watch the 2021 NFL season opener with Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or any compatible devices by subscribing to any one of these live TV streaming services.
- fuboTV has NBC covered with the fuboTV Family plan for $65/month.
- Hulu with Live also carries NBC for $65/month.
- DIRECTV Stream includes NBC in its base package for $70/month.
- Sling TV subscribers in select locations can stream NBC with Sling Blue for $35/month.
- YouTube TV includes NBC with a $65/month subscription.
- Peacock subscribers can watch this game, along with every Sunday Night Football game and the Thanksgiving game, with Peacock Premium for $5/month.
How to Stream Live NFL Games Without Cable
If you’re looking for streaming options and schedule info for the 2021-2022 NFL season, we’ve also published a handy video guide that walks you through various streaming options. You’ll find info on which live TV Streaming services carry the broadcasters that carry games throughout the season, and we also cover on-demand streaming services offering up a selection of live games through special content deals.