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In a matchup between two franchises that could hardly be any more different, the New England Patriots–playing in their seventh consecutive AFC championship–are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars–playing in their seventh postseason in franchise history–at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on CBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of CBS on your computer or on another streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch today’s game at no cost:
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 3-day free trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your tablet or other streaming device via the the Amazon Video app
FuboTV: CBS (live in at least 20 markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which gives you access to 70-plus channels and costs $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It also comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via the Fubo website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
CBS All Access: This service lets you watch a live stream of your local CBS channel (most markets included) for $5.99 per month. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can watch on your computer via the CBS website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the CBS app.
Watching on Your Phone: If you want to watch the game on your mobile device, you can do so via either the NFL Mobile app or Yahoo Sports app, which are both free to download from both the App Store and the Google Play Store
Preview
Finally, the Patriots get their much-awaited chance at redemption after a seven-point loss to the Jaguars in Week 1 of the preseason–which, oddly enough, turned out to be the first of two times this year Jacksonville would get picked apart by Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Jags are nine-point underdogs here despite clearly having the better fourth- and fifth-stringers five months ago, but being the underdog shouldn’t bother them too much. They’ve been at least five-point ‘dogs three times this season, and they’ve won all three of those games. Sure, the first was in Week 1 against the Texans before anyone really knew what each team was, and the second and third were both against the Steelers, a team they clearly matched up well against, but it’s still clear they don’t mind being doubted. In fact, they went 4-2 overall on the season as underdogs of any spread, and 4-0 overall on the season as underdogs against teams that weren’t the Tennessee Titans.
In terms of actual on-the-field matchups, Jacksonville has the personnel to slow down Tom Brady and a Patriots offense that poured on 35 fairly easy points against the Titans last week. They have arguably the best cornerback duo in the league, they have the speed to keep up with the Patriots’ running backs, and most importantly, they have the pass rush–second in the league in sack percentage–to really make Brady uncomfortable, which is the best way to beat New England.
The real question mark, though, is on the other side of the ball. Though the Jaguars offense just put up 45 points against the Steelers, they are anything but consistent–they scored 10 against the Bills the week before, and it was like if pulling teeth somehow got even worse. Meanwhile the Pats defense–once a struggling unit–is on fire with just 14.6 points per game allowed since their Week 9 bye. Even if Jacksonville can contain Brady and Co., it remains to be seen if they can score enough to get the W.
Ultimately, though, this sets up as a really intriguing matchup. The odds, and the franchise history, and the Mount Everest-like discrepancy at QB, and the coaching, and the home-field advantage, suggest this could be a blowout, but don’t be surprised if the Jags keep this thing close. They have the personnel and style to do exactly that.
