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Both coming off defeats in their openers last week, the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons each look to right the preseason ship when they meet Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 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, which vary depending on if the game is televised 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, St. Louis and Wichita, where the game is on CBS, Amazon Prime is your best option. For fans in Atlanta, where the game is on CW, Hulu with Live TV or FuboTV will each give you a live stream of the game.
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.
Game Preview
According to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, we should expect to see more of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the starting offense than we did during their first preseason game. Reid told Chiefs.com that they will play the entirety of the first half tonight.
“You get to go out there and have a little bit more time, hopefully get into a rhythm and get some scoring drives,” Mahomes explained. “That’s something we didn’t have last week with the first-team offense, so you want to go out there and score.
“For us now, it’s just about making some bigger plays and keeping drives going. I feel like we would start to go and fizzle out, so now, we’re trying to sustain these drives and score some points.”
Piggybacking on Mahomes’ comments, Reid has a specific game plan in mind for tonight.
“Just to work the offense in its simplest form,” he revealed. “Continue to work your reads, your progressions, run game situations and so on. It’s just another opportunity to get some reps in and work.”
The Falcons are still getting a look at their offense, and what they have at their disposal heading into the regular season. Quarterback Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian told Atlanta Falcons.com that they want a more “efficient” showing from their starters. Sarkisian has even said that he’ll call a play just to see whether a player will respond and what they’ll do.
“We need to see how a player is going to respond to certain situations,” he explained. “And as much stress as we can put on them gives us more information. Whether it’s a runner on a specific run or a receiver on a specific route or a lineman on a specific block, it goes all the way down the line. Those things are invaluable to us.”
Head coach Dan Quinn has kept quiet about who we should expect to see on the field tonight. Wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman sat during the team’s first preseason game, and Quinn has yet to say whether either of them will play against the Chiefs. Quinn was disappointed with the team’s 17-0 loss to the Jets, and he is eager to put that behind both him and the team moving forward.