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The Detroit Lions kick their 2021 season off against the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field on September 12.
The game (1 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on Fox in select markets. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Lions online, with the options depending on where you live:
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If the Game is in Your Market
Note: You can check here to see if the game will be televised in your area
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of Fox (live in most markets) and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your FuboTV credentials to log in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 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.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Fox (live in most markets) is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of Fox (live in select markets) and 45-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with Fox, and you can get your first month for $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of Fox (live in most markets) and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of Fox (live in select markets) and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.
If the Game is out of Your Market
SundayTicket.TV
You can watch a live stream of every out-of-market, non-nationally televised NFL game via SundayTicket.TV. Unfortunately, the service is only available for people who live in residences where DirecTV satellite isn’t available (apartments, condos, etc.), residents of a few select metropolitan cities or college students. You can check your eligibilty and sign up here:
Once signed up, out-of-market fans can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the NFL Sunday Ticket app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NFL Sunday Ticket website.
DirecTV
Note that this is different from “DirecTV Stream,” which is a live-streaming service that comes with no contract and doesn’t offer SundayTicket in any of its packages.
DirecTV is a cable option, which comes with a contract, but it’s worth mentioning here since it’s the only other way to get SundayTicket and watch live out-of-market games in the United States. Plus, DirecTV is currently offering SundayTicket included at no extra cost with their “Choice” ($69.99 per month) and above TV bundles:
Once signed up for DirecTV, you can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the DirecTV app on your iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV website.
If You’re in Canada
DAZN
Viewers in Canada can watch a live stream of every regular season and postseason NFL game via DAZN, which comes with a free trial:
Once signed up, viewers in Canada can watch the 49ers vs Lions live on the DAZN app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game on your computer via the DAZN website.
49ers vs Lions Preview
The Jared Goff era begins for the Lions. The former Los Angeles Rams quarterback is coming off a down year in 2020. He completed 67% of his passes for 3,952 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — which was the second-worst total of his career, as was his 7.2 yards per pass attempt.
The Lions have a new head coach in Dan Campbell, and his primary goal will be shoring up a defense that was the worst in the NFL in yards allowed last season, surrendering 418.8 yards per game. Detroit also allowed 32.4 points a game, which ranked 32nd out of 32 teams.
On the other side, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made the decision to start veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo over rookie QB Trey Lance, so it will be Jimmy G leading the Niners on offense.
That said, Detroit is still planning on seeing Lance, even if it’s just in an offensive package or two.
“I’m well aware of all of the games people play,” Campbell said about preparing to see Lance in some form. “It’s very easy to sit a guy out and then when all of you leave, the media leaves, he’s out there. I’ve been around where a guy had a neck brace on and then everybody left and then he throws it off and he’s out there at practice.”
On the defensive side of things, San Francisco will be getting the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa back, as well as defensive end Dee Ford after both missed nearly all of the 2020 season with injuries. The Niners had 30 sacks last year with Bosa and Ford out of the lineup, after accumulating 48 sacks with them both in the lineup the year prior in 2019.
Shanahan said heading into the game that he’s not planning on limiting either pass rusher, however.
“I don’t plan on having a pitch count with guys,” Shanahan said this week, per SI. “You plan on guys, who you don’t play every single play and use them in packages, but there’s only so many people up on game day. So the numbers are never set in stone. You have goals with how many times you plan on being in personnel groupings and stuff like that, but it’s not like the preseason where you say this guy has eight plays and he’s out or this guy has 15.”
It’s doubtful either Bosa or Ford will play 75% of the team’s defensive snaps, much less the entire game — especially Ford — but it’s certainly something to monitor in this one.