NFL Sunday Ticket: Can You Watch Your Home Team Using a VPN?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, question for you. I am a cord cutter who lives in the Washington, D.C. area. I want to watch the Washington Commanders without getting a cable sub or an antenna. Could I subscribe to the NFL Sunday Ticket and watch the Commanders if I use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). I know the Commanders are normally blacked out on the Ticket here because it’s my hometown team. But if I set the VPN to say I live in Chicago, would I get the Commanders game because it would look like I wasn’t in Washington, right? — Blake, Arlington, Virginia.

Blake, that’s a great question. As you note, YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket only provides Sunday afternoon games that are not televised on your local channels. In your case, you would not get the Commanders’ games on Sunday afternoon via the Ticket because they always air on either your Fox or CBS affiliate.

But what if you downloaded a Virtual Private Network software on your streaming device or mobile phone/tablet? Would the VPN, which is supposed to disguise your location, and can be set to appear as if you live in another city, change your settings for the Sunday Ticket? Would it give you the games intended for that other city?

The answer seems to be no, according to numerous fans who have tried this and recorded their experiences on social media. Although Google, which owns YouTube, says your Ticket game schedule is based on your Device Location, not your Mailing Address, the company somehow can detect if you’re using a VPN, according to those who have tried. (It makes you wonder if Google and the NFL are using some technology that includes both your Device Location and Mailing Address.)

Below is a good video from BigC Vlogs who failed in his attempt last year to watch an Atlanta Falcons game by setting his VPN to Los Angeles.

The good news is that you can still watch the Ticket if you have a VPN installed on your device for privacy reasons. But it appears that it won’t help you with your hometown team problem.

Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.