Sports fans, rejoice – the NFL season is almost back for real. That means all across the greater Phoenix area, friends and family will be gathering around televisions, setting fantasy football rosters, and enjoying America's favorite sport in earnest.

It also means the Valley's favorite sports bars and restaurants will be offering some of the best specials and happy hours you'll find all year long. So, if you're cheering for an out-of-market team or you don't want to spring for Sunday Ticket, check out these top places to watch football in metro Phoenix this season.

This northwest Valley haunt is more like an adult activity center. At Jimbo’s Bar & Grill, spotted by the sweet little retro, martini glass-adorned sign out front, you can grab a stool at the horseshoe bar, order off a full menu (including the famed wine burger), or put on your jam at the internet jukebox. However, during football season, you'll probably want post up by one of the TVs or projectors. Jimbo's also has drink specials on the daily.

With locations in Chandler, Mesa, and Queen Creek, Lucky Lou’s American Grill is one of the best spots for catching the early games in the east Valley. The restaurant opens at 9 a.m. on Sundays and offers a small but satisfying breakfast menu, complete with biscuits and gravy, a breakfast burrito, and breakfast sandwich. The weekend happy hour kicks in at noon, just in time for the afternoon games. Lucky Lou’s offers more than 20 flat-screen TVs and plenty of high-top, bar, and booth seating. Crowds don’t typically arrive until early afternoon, so you have plenty of reasons to get there bright and early.

A tried-and-true neighborhood watering hole, Arcadia Tavern is a must-visit for east Phoenix football fans. Be sure and get there for the first kickoff of the day, since the bar and restaurant offers drink specials on Bloody Marys and mimosas along with a full brunch menu from 9 a.m. to noon. When the afternoon games roll around, and perhaps a few friends join in, domestic buckets are usually on special. Just about every square inch of Arcadia Tavern that isn’t decked out in sports memorabilia — jerseys, mounted helmets, newspaper clippings — features a flat-screen TV, so you’ll be in clear view of the action no matter where you are seated.

With three locations in the southeast, Blue 32 is a favorite among Valley football fanatics for its casual atmosphere and its hypnotizing number of flat-screen, high-definition TVs mounted just about everywhere you look. Saturday and Sunday specials at Blue 32 vary by weekend and location. Be sure to arrive early; Arizona Cardinals fans pack the house in the afternoon.

For those Chicago transplants who are feeling a little homesick, check out Biltmore’s Half Moon Windy City Sports Grill. Or for those in the north Valley looking to cheer on the Cards, visit the Moon Valley location. This stylish and modern sports bar and grill opens at 11 a.m. and usually a little earlier during the NFL season. Specials on Coors Light drafts, Dos Equis drafts, and Bloody Marys are often on deck all day long. Even better, when the Chicago Bears score, you do too: $3 touchdown shots are offered each time the Da Bears get into the end zone all season long. That’s enough to make just about everyone a Bears fan. Well, everyone except Green Bay Packers fans.

Over in Ahwatukee, CK’s Tavern and Grill gives plenty of reasons to don your team’s favorite colors and pay a visit this season. CK’s kicks things off with a full breakfast menu and Bloody Mary bar available until 2 p.m. If you’re planning on catching the afternoon games, fear not: CK’s offers happy hour drink specials all day on Sunday, which include Sunday Funday Pints, Bloody Marys and mimosas, and more.