The New Xbox NFL App Is the Ultimate Way to Watch Football

Here’s why.

Microsoft is in bed with the NFL, and we fully support it. The continuing official partnership between the league and the Xbox One means we’re getting even more out of Xbox’s NFL app this season than before. 

The NFL app is a smartly crafted hub for all things football. We’ve seen terrific preseason coverage, highlights and clips so far, but the app will kick into high gear week 1 when all of its best functions come alive. That means integration with your Yahoo, CBS and NFL.com fantasy football leagues (ESPN users are SOL but their platform needs work anyway) and full-blown scoring tickers and notifications in real-time. 

Week 1 is also when Xbox’s partnership with DirecTV comes in handy. Signing into the Xbox app with a Sunday Ticket account (which is an astoundingly cheap 25 bucks a month for college students this year…or free if you’re a DirecTV subscriber…or available as a premium subscription if you’re not lucky enough to still be in college) opens up a huge chunk of the games for streaming right on your Xbox. Godforsaken blackout rules still apply, but having next-gen stats, replays and scoreboards hugging your live game stream sort of makes up for that shortcoming on Sundays. 

If a Sunday Ticket subscription isn’t in your future, you’ll still be able to get plenty of free highlights and replays through the app from NFL.com. A big bonus for 2016 is that the ten Twitter-sponsored, Thursday Night Football games will be streaming for free on the Xbox app too. 

Of course, all this NFL goodness still being delivered on a gaming console, and there’s nothing wrong with taking in a little Madden 17 during the tedious halftime of a Seahawks game. Xbox’s “snap” functionality comes in mighty handy, tossing the app off to the side and keeping you current without intruding on your gaming session.

If you’re so fully devoted to your Halo matchup that sparing screen space for your fantasy matchup isn’t an option, notifications are still in play for the important stuff. Just remember, if you leave a deathmatch to check a replay of a 60-yard touchdown pass by Russ Wilson, you’re still fair game to your opponents.