NFL Game Pass Review
Pros and Cons
Pros
Provides instant access to the NFL Films archive. Fans can enjoy hours of on-demand entertainment with sought-after viewing.
Provides same-day access. There is no need to wait around for access to the Super Bowl, playoffs and regular season games.
Watch condensed games. Those short on time can enjoy entire games which have been cut down to 45 minutes.
Cons
Delay for viewing regular season games. Those who dislike the waiting may be put off by this restriction.
Expensive. Unless sports fans are obsessed with watching NFL games, they may not want to shell out for the annual subscription.
Technical issues. There are sometimes a few problems reported with features such as buffering and glitching on the app and web browser.
Genres and channels
There are many types of content available to browse through with a subscription to NFL Game Pass. For example, condensed versions of games are available for under 45 minutes per stream. What’s more, users can analyse footage like the professionals with the All-22 angle Coaches Film feature.
There are NFL Originals available to browse in the on-demand library, so users are able to check out shows like Mic’d Up, A Football Life and Hard Knocks.
Content can be found by searching with a player, show or in-game highlight. Furthermore, there is a live audio feature which lets users listen to localised radio for their favourite team when they are on the go.
The good thing about NFL Game Pass is that it can be streamed on all kinds of devices – from Xbox One to Roku. That said, users should bear in mind that NFL Game Pass does not include access to live regular seasons, playoffs or Super Bowl games. They are available on an on-demand basis within the archives.
It is also worth considering that audio feeds can be subject to availability and 2009 Preseason games are not available.
Top NFL Game Pass shows and movies
NFL Game Pass Film Session – A series which sees the best coaches and players in the league sit down with viewers to educate them on the techniques and concepts behind the game.
NFL Fantasy Live – Experts from the Fantasy world provide all of the latest news and analysis to help viewers create the best matchup possible.
Do Your Job – A documentary which focuses on the 2014 Super Bowl Champions, aka Bill Belichick and the 2014 Patriots. Examines the final play and provides analysis.
NFL 360 – Hosted by Rich Eisen, this series focuses on the stories, people and locations behind the National Football League. Provides the most compelling stories around.
A Football Life – An NFL series which has over 100 episodes, focusing on the lives of select NFL players, owners, teams and coaches. Also includes interviews with their friends, teammates, family and other players.
America’s Game: The Super Bowl Champions – A yearly documentary series which profiles the winning teams of the Super Bowl championship game.
Hard Knocks – A reality sports documentary series which has been aired since 2001 and is the result of a partnership between NFL Films and HBO. Focuses on an NFL team through its training camp and preparations for the looming football season.
NFL: The Top 100 – An annual season where a list of the top 100 players in the NFL are chosen, based on ratings from other NFL players. They are chosen based on an off-season poll which the NFL sets up. Players vote based on how they performed in the most recent NFL season.
Super Bowl Archives – Watch all of the Super Bowl footage which has aired over the years from the comfort of your own home.
NFL: The Timeline – A documentary series developed by NFL Films which focuses on certain events from the National Football League.
Streaming library
When you first log in to your NFL Game Pass account, you will be asked to select your favourite teams, so you can follow them throughout the season. You can choose from the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins.
In the top right hand corner you will find your account icon. Clicking on it will open up a drop down menu with options such as My Account, Watchlist and My Teams.
The top menu provides quick links to Games, NFL Originals, Film Session, Search and more. Clicking on NFL Originals redirects the user to a grid list of the available titles, which can simply be clicked on to start streaming.
When clicking on the Film Session option, a media player will appear at the top of the screen. Available options for titles in this category to watch will appear underneath. They are grouped into Offense, Defense and Coaches.
With the search function, a user can toggle between Team Search, Player Search and In-Game Highlight. Further fields to narrow down a search are Plays, Downs, Teams, Weeks and Season.
Streaming quality
Those using NFL Game Pass will experience video quality which is adjusted by the service automatically, according to the current download bandwidth of the internet connection the user has available. The quality available goes up to a maximum of full HD. Adaptive bandwidth technology is used to deliver the highest quality stream throughout an event or title. Videos are available both live and on demand in automatically adaptive bit rate format.
On Chromecast and Apple TV, the bit rates are up to 1280x720px at 4.5Mbps or 6Mbps only, or up to 1600x900px at 4.750Mbps or 1980x1080px at 6Mbps only.
When downloading titles to watch offline, NFL provides the option of downloading in low, medium or high video quality.
Customer support
NFL Game Pass has an online support center which is designed to provide assistance to those experiencing issues with their subscription. Top categories include account and payment, account management, content, devices & technology and your NFL Game Pass plan. Recent activity is shown underneath these options, along with how long ago an article or comment was added.
Those who need further support can submit an online request. The drop-down menu options to categorise a request include Non-Technical Support, Technical Support, I’ve forgotten my password and I purchased in the USA. There is not any other direct contact method posted visibly on the help center at the time of writing.
Free trial
NFL Game Pass comes with a 7 day free trial, which begins on the date the user signs up. The user can browse content on the service as if they are a paid subscriber, without paying anything. Furthermore, if they decide the platform is not for them, they can cancel it at any time before the trial is due to expire to avoid paying a dime.
Those who want to cancel their free trial within this seven day period, therefore stopping payment, should first sign into their NFL Game Pass account. Then, they need to click on the account icon located on the top right hand side of the page.
The drop down menu under the account icon takes the user to an option of Manage Your Account, which they can click on and navigate to Billing > Cancel auto-renew.
The free trial will only be valid once, which means that users who sign up for a second free trial will trigger a charge for the full Pro Plan annual fee as it is priced in their region. Furthermore, they will not be eligible for a refund if they change their mind about the subscription.
Plans and pricing
The main benefit of the pricing of the NFL Game Pass is its flexibility. The cost at the start of the season for this pass is $99.99, but those who prefer not to pay upfront can choose to make four monthly instalment payments of $30 instead.
Those who sign up for the pass later in the season will pay a smaller amount based on a sliding scale according to time elapsed. This is because the features available will be for a shorter amount of time.
Competitors
Generally speaking, users will not find a service like the NFL Game Pass in terms of the focused content it offers. The platform is clearly catered to fans who are obsessed with the National Football League, and so the target demographic is obvious. Sports fans who enjoy watching matches across the board may prefer to consider a subscription for a more general service. Fite offers coverage for multiple sports, as does ESPN+. Alternatively, services like Hulu Live TV, Sling TV and FuboTV offer select sports channels which can be compared and chosen based on personal preference.
Is NFL Game Pass worth it?
There are many reasons why NFL Game Pass will be considered a worthwhile investment. For example, signing up at the start at the season results in peace of mind when it comes to accessing content. The flexibility is unique with this service, as the price reduction for those who sign up later in the season and the option to make payments in instalments is not a feature often seen with other streaming services.
NFL Game Pass offers many unique ways of viewing content which will make this platform appealing to a lot of sports fans. For example, the ability to break down replays like a professional with the Coaches Film Footage, plus exploring the on-demand library, means there will always be something to enjoy in great detail. Overall, we would recommend NFL Game Pass to fans of this sport.
FAQ
- Navigate to the NFL Game Pass website.
- Log in to your NFL account.
- Navigate to the My Account section.
- Click on the plus sign in the Subscriptions section.
- Uncheck the box which indicates the subscription will renew.
- Click on Update.
- Navigate to the NFL Game Pass website.
- Click on the Sign In button. This is located in the top right hand corner of the screen.
- Enter your email address or username.
- Enter your password.
- Toggle the option to keep signed in. Do not do this if you are on a public or shared computer.
- Click on Sign In.
- Start streaming!
This feature does not appear to be available at present.
Users who wish to cancel their NFL Game Pass subscription and sign up again at a later date can do so by simply switching off the auto-renewal feature in their account settings, as described above. Then they can log back into their NFL account in the future and select a plan to begin their subscription again.
The refund policy on the NFL Help Centre indicates that users in the US are eligible for a refund if they purchase a subscription and cancel within three days of the purchase date. They are also eligible for a refund if they subscribed to a free trial and cancel within three days after the free trial ends. They can request a refund if their subscription is auto-renewed and they cancel within seven days of the automatic renewal date.
There are not any services, to our knowledge, which provide a similar content offering and level of access compared with that seen on NFL Game Pass. For fans of the National Football League, the NFL Game Pass is probably the best option for their streaming needs. Alternatively, fans of other sports can try out Fite or ESPN+ to explore multiple sports covered in detail. Finally, there are sports channels available on many live TV streaming services – such as Hulu Live TV, fuboTV and Sling TV – which can be compared to find the best option according to user preference.
NFL Game Pass is only available to those who reside within the United States, Bermuda, Antigua, the Bahamas and US territories, possessions and commonwealths. These include Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Anyone who tries to access NFL Game Pass outside of these locations will not be successful.
- Navigate to the NFL website.
- Click on the Create Account button.
- Enter your name, a username, your email address, a password and your date of birth.
- Tick the box to confirm you have read and agree to the NFL terms and conditions and privacy policy.
- Click on Continue.
- Start streaming!
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