Kickoff to the NFL season is right around the corner and teams have just a few more opportunities for a tune-up as the preseason winds down. In what is expected to be a “dress rehearsal” for the season, the San Francisco 49ers hit the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s a rundown of how to watch the 49ers vs Chiefs online without cable, with the live streaming options being dependent on where you reside:
If The Game is in Your Market
First, you’ll want to know what channel the game is on. It’s on CBS in San Francisco and CBS in Kansas City, and it will be on either ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW or MyTV in other cities.
Then, if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of one, some or all of these channels (in select markets) on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV or other streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:
Fans in San Francisco, Kansas City & Other Markets: Amazon Prime
If the game is on CBS in your area (as it is in San Francisco, Kansas City, Sacramento, St. Louis and other markets), and you don’t need any other channels, Amazon Prime’s CBS channel is a great option.
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all live and on-demand CBS content via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a seven-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Chiefs on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
Fans in San Francisco, Kansas City & Other Select Markets: FuboTV
Fox, NBC, CBS and CW (all live in select markets; view channels in your area) are among the 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free seven-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Chiefs on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Fans in San Francisco, Kansas City & Other Select Markets: Hulu With Live TV
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC & CW (all live in select markets; view channels in your area).
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Chiefs on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
If The Game is Out of Your Market
You can watch every out-of-market preseason NFL game online via NFL Game Pass, which costs $99.99 for the season (or you can pay four installments of $29.99).
You can start a free trial of NFL Game Pass right here, and then if the game is outside of your market, you can watch the 49ers vs Chiefs on your computer via the Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL app.
If You’re in Canada: DAZN
Viewers in Canada can watch every preseason, regular season and postseason NFL game live online via DAZN, a digital streaming service that also includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, Premier League soccer, Champions League soccer, boxing and other live sports for $20 per month or $150 per year.
You can sign up for a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Chiefs and every other NFL game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone, tablet, smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the DAZN app.
49ers vs Chiefs Preview
The NFL preseason is just getting interesting as most teams are starting to get more serious as the season rapidly approaches. Starters typically see the most time in the third game of the preseason and the game is often referred to as a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. But teams still try to find a balance between staying sharp for the season and avoiding injuries, but it’s easier said than done.
Fans are expected to get a good look at defending NFL MVP and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who should see a little more time than he has through the first two games. He was just 2 of 5 in the Chiefs 17-7 loss to the Steelers last week and wants to see a little more out of the starting offense — even if it is just the preseason.
“[I want us to be] a little bit more successful as an offense this next week, and that’s not necessarily scoring points, but just moving the ball and not making as many mistakes as a whole,” Mahomes said. “I feel like last week, we were off here and there on certain plays and when you aren’t in that perfect sync, it makes you pay in the game.”
On the other side of the ball, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will look to rebound from a miserable performance last week where he posted a 0.0 QB rating and was picked off.
Garoppolo is coming off a torn ACL he suffered last year against Kansas City in September and has looked timid when facing pressure and has failed to step into his throws. Now he’s returning to the scene where he suffered the injury.
“It’ll be a good stepping stone. Definitely it’ll be a little weird getting back there, but yeah, just trying to treat it like a normal game.” [“Have you flashed back to that moment a lot over these last 11 months?”Garoppolo said. “I mean, you try to replay it all in your head and what you’d do differently and everything like that and really everything that goes into it. It’s come up a couple times, but I think I’m past that at this point.”
The NFL season revs up with the Bears clashing with their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The 49ers kick off their season on the road against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday, Sept. 8. The Chiefs travel to the Jacksonville Jaguars to kick off their year the same day.