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- Thursday Night Football: How to Watch Bills vs. Texans Tonight
- How to watch Bills vs. Texans on TNF
- Can I watch the Bills-Texans game on local TV?
- How to watch NFL Week 12 from anywhere using a VPN
- Week 12 NFL TV schedule
- How to watch NFL Week 12 in the US
- Best live TV streaming services for NFL fans
- Quick tips for streaming the NFL with a VPN
The Houston Texans have won their last two games to even their record at 5-5 and stay in the AFC playoff picture. To make it three straight, they'll need to find a way to knock off the Buffalo Bills tonight without their starting quarterback. C.J. Stroud will miss his third straight game with a concussion, setting up Davis Mills for another start.
For the Bills, quarterback Josh Allen is coming off a game in which he threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another three, but Allen and the Bills offense face a stiff test tonight against a rugged Texans defense. The Bills are 7-3 and in prime position in the AFC playoff race but trail the New England Patriots in the AFC East. The Bills need a win tonight to keep their hopes alive for a sixth-consecutive division title.
The Bills-Texans game kicks off tonight at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT) and will stream nationally on Prime Video and free on Twitch. Fans in the Buffalo and Houston markets can watch on a local TV station but the rest of the country will need to stream it on Prime Video or Twitch.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills take on the Houston Texans tonight for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and Twitch.
Bryan Bennett/Getty ImagesHow to watch Bills vs. Texans on TNF
Tonight's game will stream nationally on Prime Video, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account, which costs $15 a month or $139 a year. You can also subscribe only to Prime Video for $9 a month.
If you don't pay for either of Amazon's services, you can watch free on Prime Video's Twitch channel. (Twitch is also owned by Amazon.)
You can also use NFL Plus, the league's $7-per-month streaming service (or $15 a month with Red Zone included), to stream the game without subscribing to Prime or Prime Video. Note that NFL Plus viewing is limited to watching on just a phone or tablet, not on a computer or TV.
You can watch tonight's game and the rest of the Thursday Night Football slate this season on Prime Video. For millions of Amazon Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. But if you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber, it might be worth it to shell out the $9 a month for the stand-alone Prime Video service, not only for football but also its impressive selection of shows and movies.
Can I watch the Bills-Texans game on local TV?
Yes, Bills and Texans fans in the local markets of each team will be able to watch the game on an over-the-air station. For this game, that's ABC 7 (WKBW) in Buffalo and Fox 26 (KRIV) in Houston, according to 506 Sports.
There are two ways to watch local channels on your TV without cable or satellite TV. The first is with a live TV streaming service. The second is with an over-the-air antenna if you live in an area with good reception.
You can watch ABC or Fox with a live TV streaming service, but not every service carries every local network in every area, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries ABC or Fox where you live.
How to watch NFL Week 12 from anywhere using a VPN
Looking ahead to the weekend, if you find yourself unable to view Sunday's games locally because of incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch. That's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, plus it's a great idea for when you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks. Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Price $13 per month, $75 for the first year or $98 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $100 per year)Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 a month on a two-year plan for the service's Basic tier.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Week 12 NFL TV schedule
This Sunday, there are seven games starting at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT ) on CBS and Fox, followed by four games in the late window before we get to the Sunday night game on NBC and Peacock between the Rams and Bucs.
Four teams are on a bye this week: Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, LA Chargers and Washington Commanders
NFL Week 12 Sunday schedule
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Detroit Lions | 1 p.m. | Fox | Fox One |
| Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. | Fox | Fox One |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. | Fox | Fox One |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 4:05 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4:05 p.m. | CBS | Paramount Plus |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4:25 p.m. | Fox | Fox One |
| New Orleans Saints | 4:25 p.m. | Fox | Fox One |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8:20 p.m. | NBC | Peacock |
How to watch NFL Week 12 in the US
If you don't want to subscribe to a live TV streaming service, you can watch the CBS games with Paramount Plus and Fox games with Fox One on Sunday afternoon. Then on Sunday night, you'll need Peacock for the Sunday Night Football game.
Football fans can stream CBS' Sunday afternoon football schedule each week of the season on Paramount Plus with its $8 per month Essentials tier. You can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.
Fox's new direct-to-consumer streaming service costs $20 a month or $200 a year and lets NFL fans watch their local Sunday afternoon games on Fox. You'll also get access to Fox's complete TV portfolio, including sports-related channels such as Fox Sports, B1G, FS1, FS2 and local Fox stations.
With Peacock's $11-per-month Premium plan, you can watch tonight's game and every Sunday Night Football game this season. Read our Peacock review.
Best live TV streaming services for NFL fans
While subscribing to Paramount Plus, Fox One and Peacock is cheaper than a live TV streaming service, the advantage of the latter is the ability to flip quickly between CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoon when two games are on at the same time. Shutting down one streaming service and firing up another is much slower and more annoying, to the point that it's not worth flipping to the other game during a commercial break of the one you're watching.
The good news for football fans is that CBS and Fox are available on most live TV streaming services along with NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network for SNF, MNF and the NFL's international games.
DirecTV's MySports plan costs $70 a month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network, which are the main channels you need to watch NFL games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday each week of the season. You can't get the RedZone add-on with the MySports plan but will need to subscribe to the full $85-a-month package and then add RedZone for an extra $15 a month.
You can use DirecTV's channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV review.
YouTube TV carries all of the channels needed to watch the NFL and costs $83 a month, and you can add RedZone for an extra $11 per month. ABC and ESPN are back in its channel lineup after YouTube TV and Disney ended their contact dispute.
YouTube TV is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that Sunday Ticket doesn't include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren't being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you'll need Sunday Ticket plus a YouTube TV subscription (or just get Sunday Ticket and then use an antenna for local games).
Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Fubo's main package costs $85 per month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network. You can also add RedZone for an extra $11 per month.
Fubo has a new skinny bundle that includes most of the channels you need for the NFL. This new Fubo Sports plan costs $56 per month ($46 for the first month) and includes all of the above channels except NBC for Sunday Night Football. It also includes access to ESPN's new streaming app. It's worth noting that the bundle is only available in certain regions at the moment, with a gradual rollout across the country.
Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
Quick tips for streaming the NFL with a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- experience and success may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
