8 Football Shows & Movies To Stream During The NFL Playoffs!

The NFL season is into playoff territory, and we are in full what-to-watch mode. This season has given us many cinematic elements full of character, heartbreak, story arcs, underdog stories, and comedic relief, to name a few. Whether you watch the NFL for the competition, for the game, for the players, or for other reasons, this diverse list contains very popular, essential football shows and movies for you to watch while enjoying the rest of what this season has in store!

1. "Friday Night Lights"

One of the quintessential football TV shows, this is a beloved series about the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team that uses the sport of football as a lens to view community, pressure in and around it, and what this sport can mean not only for the town,but for each of the players. This show captures emotions in a way that not many other football shows can claim to do, and the team represents something almost equivalent to a way of life or a religion for the people of this small Texas town. Even if you don’t like football, this show still rings true for what great TV is. It feels timeless, and it’s just as relevant today as it probably will be in another 50 years. If you want to see an exploration of sacrifice through sport and community, this show is for you! (Stream on Prime Video)

2. "All American"

"All American" is a great option because, similar to "Friday Night Lights", it’s about high school football, but what makes this show different is that it’s more contemporary, and there are many newer questions about identity, culture, and relationships. It’s a show that revolves around character and how those characters develop. The show is inspired by the central character, former NFL player Spencer Paysinger, and follows his journey as he navigates his personal life as well as the life of football. "All American" uses football as the foundation, but its real focus -- and why it’s so popular -- is because it covers players’ growth and the choices they make that shape who they become long before they ever reach the pros. (Stream on Netflix)

3. "Hard Knocks"

"Hard Knocks" is the NFL’s behind-the-scenes docuseries, showing what really happens behind the closed doors of practice and in the coaches’ and managers’ offices. "Hard Knocks" is the closest thing we get to truly understanding what the NFL as a whole is. All season, we watch and see which teams are good enough to compete in the playoffs, and "Hard Knocks" gives us more than enough insight into how and why a team can succeed or fail. It feels like the rehearsals for the show. It provides us with so many viral moments, and if character is why you love television, and if you’ve always wondered what some of the greatest players are really like, "Hard Knocks" is a fantastic option. (Stream on HBO Max)

4. Remember The Titans

Next up is a classic, and it’s based on a true story about a racially integrated high school football team that comes together despite a lot of outside noise and opinions. 2000's Remember the Titans stands up as one of the most popular football movies to date because of the questions it asks and because it is a feel-good movie at its core. It’s something you can watch over and over again, and it really doesn’t get old hearing Denzel Washington ask questions like “WHY YOU SMILING?" and “You think football is fun?” Football is, in fact, fun, and if you have never seen this Disney-friendly yet impactful, historically-accurate football movie, you’re in for a true treat. (Stream on Disney+/Hulu)

5. "Last Chance U"

Shifting gears from a based-on-a-true-story film to a very real docuseries, "Last Chance U" is about college football players fighting for their “last chance” at success. Similar to "Hard Knocks", it gives us way more than a behind-the-scenes look into elite athletes’ lives. All of the players have gone through some sort of really tough life circumstances, and through this new placement in JUCO (Junior College) football, they have a chance to get where they want to be in their careers. Most of the time, these athletes were either dismissed from NCAA teams due to disciplinary reasons, academic ineligibilities, or some other sort of setback. So, all in all, this is a great place to watch premiere student athletes traversing a difficult part of their life. (Stream on Netflix)

6. Rudy

“RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!”Rudy is a classic underdog story about a small-town kid chasing his football dreams of playing at Notre Dame. In terms of this year’s NFL playoffs, we don’t really have any crazy underdog stories, but if you are looking for one, look no further than 1993's Rudy. If you are searching for something to give you hope – perhaps your team lost already (like mine) – and maybe you’re looking for some optimism in this cruel sport, Rudy is for you. It’s based on a true story, where Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger desperately wanted to play football but was told time and time again that he was too small and that the odds were stacked against him. Rudy is a great, inspirational movie, and it’s a good reminder that all is possible in sports -- that’s why we play the game. (Stream on Paramount+)

7. The Blind Side

Another movie based on a true story, 2009's The Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher’s rise from hardship to NFL success with the support of the Tuohy family. This movie is comforting, easy to watch, and it appeals to a large audience. The movie also is a great look into a specific player. Most football movies don’t highlight offensive lineman, as they can tend to be the unsung heroes, but this movie does a great job at inviting us into a large part of Michael’s story.

All of this being said, to this day, there remains a complicated legal case happening, as Michael accused the Tuohys of profiting off of his name and likeness and lying about adopting him. This confusion about what role the Tuohy family actually played in Michael’s life is ongoing, but regardless, we think this movie is a really interesting look into how nuanced and difficult Michael’s situation was. (Available on VOD/Digital)

8. "Blue Mountain State"

Last but certainly not least, "Blue Mountain State" is a comedic, absurd, over-the-top, dramatized look into party life in college football. It’s the perfect pick if you want something to laugh at as well as something that doesn’t hit as hard as some of the more emotional picks on our list. It’s by far the outlier on this list, and it deliberately plays on a stereotype of unhinged party life in college football. It shows excessive drinking, chaos, and satire in more ways than one, and for all of that, and for the last spot on our list, it represents a show about blowing off steam when these football conversations could get a bit heavy, because, after all, football is a game. (Stream on Netflix, Pluto TV, Tubi, and PLEX)

All of these movies and shows represent football in a different way, and it goes to show how impactful the game of football is. From true stories to over-dramatized ideas to documentary footage, people are constantly intrigued by and interested in this sport. And through this sport, regardless of if we watch the playoffs or not, we have many options available to us full of drama, character, and a lot of what makes this game so special.