Saints teammates Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC South clash to open the 2018 regular season on Sunday.
The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 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 Saints will be looking to build on a 2017 season, which saw the franchise win its seventh division title, but ultimately fall short in a heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round of the postseason. A misplay by Marcus Williams allowed wide receiver Stefon Diggs to walk into the endzone as time expired.
Brees and the rest of New Orleans’ offense will be somewhat shorthanded to start the season, as running back Mark Ingram is suspended the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In his absence, Alvin Kamara should see a few more touches per week than he did last season, and judging by what he did last season, the offense shouldn’t slow down too much.
In year two, Marshon Lattimore expects to be even better than his stellar rookie season. He won the 2017 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award after allowing a 45.3 passer rating, good for third best in the league.
The Buccaneers have their own suspension to deal with, too; they will be without starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy – Winston has had numerous off-the-field issues prior both at Florida State and in the NFL.
Tampa Bay will likely have to rely on the passing game more and more this season, and losing Winston throws a monkey wrench into those plans.
Third-year head coach Dirk Koetter is likely on the hot seat.
After a promising 9-7 season in 2016 which saw significant growth on both sides of the ball, Tampa Bay severely regressed in 2017 finishing 5-11 and never getting off the ground. Koetter, a known offensive wizard who has worked with quarterbacks David Garrard in Jacksonville and Matt Ryan in Atlanta in the past, will have a lot on his plate getting a team that may be 0-3 back on track following Winston’s return. In fact, Koetter may not be there to see that transition, if at all.