NFL would absolutely do the same in the US if it were against a foreign ISP or network operator.
What’s the domestic piracy rate for NFL games?
They split the rights up in much more imaginative ways, like local channels can broadcast sold out local games and then the nfl itself or an rsn or major network can broadcast the remote half. I would guess that a lot of local games are over the air but if you follow a team somewhere else you might need a fairly inexpensive subscription
The NFL streaming services are truly bizarre. You can't stream local games, based on billing address, because you're supposed to watch TV. Which means if you go on vacation, you still can't watch, because they're not on TV and not streamable with your account.