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The top two picks in the 2018 NFL draft–Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley–make their anticipated NFL debuts on Thursday night when the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Giants in a preseason opener at MetLife Stadium.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET. For those out of market, it will be broadcast on the NFL Network. For those in market, it will be broadcast on a local channel, depending on your city.
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 Teams are 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 Cleveland, where the game is on ABC, Hulu with Live TV is your best option. For fans in New York, where the game is on NBC, either Hulu with Live TV or FuboTV would work. In Columbus, where the game is on CBS, Amazon Prime is a good 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: 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: 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: 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 Teams Aren’t in Your Market
For everyone outside of the Browns and Giants markets, the game will be broadcast nationally on NFL Network, which is included in main FuboTV channel package.
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of NFL Network on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
Preview
It can sometimes be difficult to get amped up for a preseason game, but this one has two very clear reasons to watch:
Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley.
The former, drafted No. 1 overall by the Browns, was one of the most efficient college quarterbacks of all-time. There are some polarizing opinions out there on him due to some controversial moments while at Oklahoma, but he’s nevertheless an exciting talent.
That said, it looks like he’ll begin the season as the backup to Tyrod Taylor, who the Browns acquired from Buffalo in a trade this offseason.
“The better for the long-term is obvious, it’s Baker,” head coach Hue Jackson said. “But we signed Tyrod for a reason too, to come in and be our starter.”
There’s a chance we don’t see a whole lot of Mayfield this season, which means the preseason may be the best opportunity to monitor his early progress. It’s unclear, though, how much he’ll play on Thursday night.
As for Barkley, you don’t take a running back No. 2 in the draft without the intention of making him your workhorse, and that’s exactly what the Giants plan to do. Again, there are plenty of hot takes on whether or not using such a high pick on this position was the right move, but Barkley is a potential generational talent. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see what he can do in this offense.
Of course, Mayfield and Barkley aren’t the only attractions for Thursday night’s preseason game. The Browns, fresh off a historic 0-16 season, have a totally revamped roster with the additions of players like Taylor, Jarvis Landry and Carlos Hyde. The Giants also have some new veterans, such as Jonathan Stewart and Nate Solder. And then you also have more rookies to watch (Denzel Ward for the Browns, Lorenzo Carter for the Giants), as well as a slew of important position battles to analyze.
Oh, and if you’re the kind of monster who likes to bet on preseason games, the G-Men are favored by 2.5.
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