Broncos quarterback Case Keenum
The Earl Thomas offseason saga is finally over, but the regular season saga may just be getting started in the Pacific Northwest, as the Seattle Seahawks prepare to fly a mile high against the Denver Broncos to open the 2018 regular season on Sunday.
The game is scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox in select areas (coverage map here). If the game is on in your market and you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Fox (live in all 32 NFL markets) is included in FuboTV’s main package, which includes 85 total channels and is largely tailored towards sports fans. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a handy “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the game on-demand up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including Fox (live in all 32 NFL markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch 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).
Fox (live in 17 NFL markets) is 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 the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your 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.
Fox Sports Go
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Fox Sports Go website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the Fox Sports Go app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your FuboTV, Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the Fox digital platforms.
Watch on Your Phone: NFL Mobile
Streaming of in-market and prime-time games can be watched on phones via the NFL Mobile app.
If the Game is Out of Your Market
SundayTicket.TV allows you to watch a live stream of games that are out of your market and aren’t nationally televised. The service is available for people who live in residences that can’t get satellite (apartments, condos, etc.), as well as residents of San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York City. You can check here to see if you’re eligible.
Additionally, most college students may watch out-of-market games via SundayTicket U.
Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the NFL Sunday Ticket website, or you can watch on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the NFL Sunday Ticket app, which is free to download on many different devices.
Watch On-Demand: NFL Game Pass
If you’re fine watching games on-demand, another option is NFL Game Pass Domestic, which allows you to watch replays of every NFL game for a fee of $99.99 for the season. No live games are available under this service, but you’ll be able to watch them following the conclusion of games for the day.
Once signed up, you can watch games on-demand on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your tablet or streaming device via the NFL Mobile app, which can be downloaded for free on a handful of different devices.
If You’re Outside the United States & Mexico
If you’re not in the United States, surrounding territories, or Mexico, you can watch NFL games live via NFL Game Pass International. The cost of the package depends on which country you’re in.
Once signed up, you can watch games on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL Mobile app, which can be downloaded for free on a handful of different devices.
Preview
The All-Pro safety finally ended his holdout and reported to the team Wednesday. Thomas, who is the last remaining member of the original “Legion of Boom” after Richard Sherman moved on to the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason and Kam Chancellor retired, will have his work cut out for him this season piecing together a Seahawks’ secondary that is now the weak point of the unit.
The Seahawks also have a revamped offense – eh, a work in progress. Despite Seattle using a 2018 first-round pick on Rashaad Penny, 2017 seventh-round pick Chris Carson will start Week 1 and likely get a bulk of the work out of the backfield. In the offseason the Seahawks lost Paul Richardson to the Washington Redksins, so Tyler Lockett – who recently signed a three-year contract extension just before the season started – will get a majority of snaps as the No. 2 wide receiver.
Jimmy Graham has departed, and in is 2016 third-round pick Nick Vannett, who is more likely to be used as an extra blocked as Seattle attempts to re-establish a similar ground-and-pound type game with Penny and Carson like they had with Marshawn Lynch.
The Broncos’ 2017 season started promising behind Trevor Siemian with consecutive victories, and three wins in the first four games, but it quickly unraveled and eventually the team bottomed out at 5-11.
Realizing Paxton Lynch needed more time — he may never be ready – and Brock Osweiler were not the answers at quarterback, Denver went out and signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum in the offseason. Keenum isn’t a special talent, but threw just seven interceptions in total last year. His ability to protect the ball, while getting it out quicker so wide receivers Demariyus Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders can make plays will help improve the Broncos’ offense.
In addition to Keenum, Broncos’ third-round pick Royce Freeman had a productive preseason and looks poised to emerge as the starter early.