Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams (12-3) have a lot to play for when they welcome Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers (4-11) to the L.A. Coliseum in a battle of NFC West rivals as the 2018 NFL regular season concludes with Week 17 action on Sunday afternoon.
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
With a win, Los Angeles wraps up the No. 2 seed in the NFC. With a loss, Los Angeles can drop to the No. 3 seed if the Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Rams would then likely host a Wild Card Game against either the aforementioned Vikings or the Philadelphia Eagles — the defending Super Bowl champions who, by the way, went on the road and stunned the Rams 30-23 in their home building just two short weeks ago.
Prior to last week’s 31-9 win against the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams had lost two straight games for the first time all season. The loss of Cooper Kupp has noticeably slowed down Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Brandon Cooks, Robert Woods and the rest of the offense a big despite last week’s 31-point effort.
McVay, like most other coaches, understands treating this meeting as a playoff game would do wonders for the team’s momentum heading into January.
“It’s very important for us to come out ready to go. Continue to carry some momentum that we were able to establish … leading into our final home game of the regular season at the Coliseum.
Also, our final division game. To be able to wrap up the division — try to stay unbeaten in the division this year would be a great accomplishment. But most importantly, it’s coming away and trying to go 1-0 this week. We know that if we’re able to do that, then that means that we get a first-round bye.”
Shanahan has dealt with a lot of injuries with the 49ers this season. Despite that, there have been a few positives, namely the play of undrafted free agent quarterback Nick Mullens. In seven starts, Mullens has completed 63.5% of his passes for 1,995 yards and thrown 10 touchdowns.
Mullen’s will likey need to avoid Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald, who sits at 19.5 sacks for the season — the NFL record for a defensive tackle — is three away from potentially tying Michael Strahan’s NFL record. Donald is the current favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.