Getty Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will be on opposing sides for the first time ever on Sunday.
Tom Brady‘s epic return to New England kicks off on Sunday night when he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Patriots.
The game (8:20 p.m. ET start time) will be televised nationally on NBC. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Bucs vs Patriots online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC (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 Bucs vs Patriots 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 NBCSports.com or the NBC 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.” NBC (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 Bucs vs Patriots 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 NBCSports.com or the NBC 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 NBC (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 NBC, and you can get your first month for $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Bucs vs Patriots 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 NBCSports.com or the NBC 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 NBC (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 Bucs vs Patriots 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 NBCSports.com or the NBC 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).
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 Bucs vs Patriots 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.
Bucs vs Patriots Preview
Tom Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick built a dynasty together with six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances over a 20-year span. For Sunday night, they will be on opposite sides for the first and possibly only time.
The Patriots (1-2) and Buccaneers (2-1) come into this monster clash trending in two different directions. Brady’s shadow over New England grew only bigger leading up to this game as the Patriots have sputtered in the early going with a tepid offense led by rookie quarterback Mac Jones. Tampa looks like a contender again with Brady and all starters back from last year’s Super Bowl winner.
Brady led the Bucs to a championship and boat parade while the Patriots dynasty sunk in his absence to a losing record no playoffs in 2020. Belichick’s free agent spending spree hasn’t righted the ship in New England yet, but Sunday’s game will leave him or Brady with legacy bragging rights.
Tampa comes in banged up with former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on the sideline after injuring his ribs at Los Angeles in Week 3. The Bucs also won’t’ have linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul for a second-straight game, and the team won’t have running back Giovanni Bernard and cornerback Jamel Dean. Brady also lost one of his favorite receivers in Scotty Miller last week, but will have Antonio Brown back after missing the Rams game on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Brown will quietly face his old team on Sunday, too, albeit a one-game stint on the road in 2019 at Miami. He never played in Foxboro as a Patriot before legal trouble sidelined him until his return to the NFL via Brady and the Bucs in 2020.
The Bucs will also debut star cornerback Richard Sherman, who signed with the team after Week 3. Sherman and Brady had their moments in past Patriots-Seattle Seahawks clashes, but they will now seek a Super Bowl together.
Sherman’s boost to the Bucs secondary will only make things more challenging for Jones and the Patriots offense, which averages 18 points per game and 226 yards passing per contest. The Patriots also lost running back James White against the New Orleans Saints.
Teams threw the ball all day against the Bucs secondary in the first three weeks to avoid the Bucs’ staunch run defense. Opponents average 338 yards on 48 pass attempts per game against the Bucs.
New England’s defense, which ranks fifth overall, has kept its team in ball games with 17 points allowed per game. The Patriots also limit teams to 159.7 yards passing and 122.7 yards rushing per contest. Patriots defensive players also have tallied nine sacks and five interceptions in three games.
Linebacker Matt Judon leads the Patriots in sacks with 3.5, and fellow linebacker Josh Uche has three. Cornerback J.C. Jackson has two interceptions and three pass deflections for the Patriots. Unfortunately, the Patriots may not have Uche and Jackson as both are listed as questionable on the final injury report. That’s just two of the eight players listed as questionable for the game.
How Belichick can get this defense to disrupt Brady and the Bucs remains the question. Only the Rams showed significant success at slowing down the high-octane Bucs.
Brady has 1,087 yards passing and 10 touchdowns in just three games. He can become the all-time leader for passing yards against the Patriots with just 68 yards according to Sporting News.
Overall, the Bucs average a league-high 34.3 points per game, and their 406 yards per game ranks eighth. Brady’s plethora of receivers with Brown, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin moves the chains consistently. Even with Gronkowski out, the Bucs still have O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate to make plays.
Tampa hasn’t seen great run production yet and abandoned it against the Rams — Brady led the team in rushing with 14 yards that day. That doesn’t mean the Bucs’ main backs in Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II couldn’t get going as they did last season.
Otherwise, Brady may lead the Bucs in rushing again, something that he seldom did in 20 years with the Patriots.