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A pair of talented second-year quarterbacks will be on display Thursday night (for at least a couple of plays), as the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans open up 2018 preseason play with a matchup at Arrowhead.
The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, here’s a rundown of all your live stream options, depending on whether the game is in your market or not:
If The Game is Televised in Your Market
First, check to see what local channel the game is on in your area–it will be either ABC, CBS, CW, Fox or NBC. Then, if you sign up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services, you’ll be able to watch a live stream of one, some, or all of those channels, depending on the service.
For example, for fans in Kansas City and St. Louis, where the game is on CBS, Amazon Prime is your best option. For fans in Houston, where the game is on NBC, Hulu with Live TV is your best option.
Here’s a rundown of all the streaming services, what they include, and how to sign up and watch:
(Note that local channels are available live in select markets)
Local channels included: CBS
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS Amazon Channel, which also comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of your local CBS channel on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
Local channels included: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, NBC
In addition to its massive Netflix-like library of on-demand movies and TV shows, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, which includes ABC, CBS, CW, Fox and NBC. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of any of those channels on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch the game 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).
Local channels included: CBS, CW, Fox, NBC
A streaming service that is largely tailored towards sports fans, FuboTV includes CBS, CW, Fox and NBC. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of those channels on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch the game live, FuboTV also comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch games and shows up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them. The main FuboTV channel package also comes with NFL Network, which will air a replay of every preseason game.
Local channels included: Fox, NBC
Fox and NBC are both included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch a live stream of either channel on your computer via the Sling website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on. “Sling Blue” also comes with the NFL Network, which will air a replay of every preseason game, so you can also watch that way if you miss it live.
If The Game is Not Televised in 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 four installments of $29.99). Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL app.
Preview
Quickly establishing himself as a legitimate superstar in his rookie season last year, Deshaun Watson tore his ACL during practice after just seven games (six starts). He was putting up some historically good numbers for a rookie QB, and while no injury is one you want to see, that one, timed with Watson’s ascent, was particularly devastating.
But Thursday night could signal his return. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said that the second-year QB is “more likely” to play than not, saying that the team will make a decision prior to the game.
“Honestly, to me, if it happens, it happens,” said Watson. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just trusting the process that [O’Brien] and the organization have for me, and I know it’s a good plan. So, I’m just kind of going with the flow and seeing what the game plan is for Thursday.”
Even if he only plays for a series or two, it will be good to see Watson back out on the field in a real good–and even better if resembles the player he was beginning to look like last year.
On the other side of the field, the Chiefs also have someone very compelling to watch at the quarterback position.
Pat Mahomes, who was drafted 10th overall in 2017 (two picks ahead of Watson) but spent the majority of the season backing up Alex Smith, is set to take the reins this year with Smith traded to Washington. He had some trouble early in camp, throwing seven interceptions in the first six practices, but head coach Andy Reid is more concerned about the process rather than the result.
“I know people wrote about the interceptions at the beginning of camp. I don’t care about that stuff. I want him to test the offense,” said Reid. “If you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to go test it, you’re going to be one of those quarterbacks that checks it down all the time and that’s not what it’s all about.”
Mahomes can be a bit erratic, but with one of the strongest arms in the league, he’s certainly going to be an entertaining player to watch.
It’s too bad we’ll only see Watson and Mahomes for a few plays Thursday night. If this was a regular season game, those two have the potential to put on a show. Still, tonight’s contest will provide a good glimpse at two of the most intriguing young QB’s in the league, as well as all the other stuff a preseason game provides, such as position battles and unknown players fighting to make a name for themselves.
For the preseason NFL betting crowd out there, the Chiefs are favored by 2.5.
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