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Having gone 2-1 in their first three games, the Cleveland Browns will look to close out their preseason on Thursday night when they face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET. For those out of market, it will be broadcast on NFL Network, which can be watched online via FuboTV. 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, which vary depending on where you live:
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, NBC or My. 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. But if you’re in Detroit, where the game is on Fox, Fubo TV is a good option. If you’re in Columbus, Toledo or Saginaw, where the game is on CBS, Amazon Prime is the easiest way to watch 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: 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 Lions 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.
Game Preview
Like most preseason closers, the Browns vs Lions game will provide fringe roster players with a final chance to nab an open spot. Baker Mayfield will get the start tonight, but head coach Hue Jackson told that he’s saving Jarvis Landry, David Njoku and other starters for the regular season.
“I am not playing the starters in this game,” Jackson said on Monday. “You guys have been looking for that. They will not play. Specific guys will play and play quite a bit, and then we will let some other guys finish the game.” When asked whether Mayfield would get the nod, the coach said: “It opens up for Baker to play quite a bit, yes.”
Detroit receiver Bradley Marquez, who was friendly with Mayfield when the two were at Texas Tech, is excited to get the chance to play against him. “He’s a great leader in the huddle and fun to rally around,” Marquez explained. “Obviously you see the personality and he grew into an even better personality just understanding the game as the years go on. I wouldn’t say I envisioned it but definitely excited to see him have that success.”
The Lions are also looking at potential roster cuts and position fills as they head into the regular season. “Training camp has been a really competitive situation at a lot of positions,” said general manager Bob Quinn. “I think over the next couple days, we’ve been talking about it for a few weeks, we’re going to have some really hard decisions to keep the best 53 players on the team. Sometimes it isn’t always the 53 most talented players, it’s really the right fits for us, our team going forward.”