The second week of the NFL preseason wraps up as the San Fransisco 49ers hit the road to take on the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on Monday night.
The game starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone, or connected-to-TV streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include ESPN.
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Broncos on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your PlayStation Vue credentials.
If you can’t watch live, PlayStation Vue comes with cloud DVR.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Broncos on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
ESPN Digital Platforms
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Broncos on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app.
You’ll need to sign 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 PlayStation Vue or Hulu credentials to sign in and watch the game on ESPN’s platforms.
Viewers in Canada can watch every preseason, regular season and postseason NFL game live online via DAZN, a digital streaming service that also includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, Premier League soccer, Champions League soccer, boxing and other live sports for $20 per month or $150 per year.
You can sign up for a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the 49ers vs Broncos and every other NFL game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone, tablet, smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the DAZN app.
49ers vs. Broncos Preview
The NFL preseason is hitting the halfway mark for most teams and things are starting to get more serious as the season approaches. Starters typically see more time in the second game of the preseason, usually maxing out their reps in the third game. Teams try to find a balance between staying sharp for the season and avoiding injuries, but it’s easier said than done.
The 49ers should get the first look at QB Jimmy Garoppolo since he tore his ACL last September. How much he’ll stay in the game is the question.
“I haven’t decided how much we’re going to play him on Monday night,” San Fransisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Want to play him. A lot has to do with when we watch his film from these two practices, how long we do play all our starters, what O-Linemen are available and things like that.”
Garoppolo owns the third largest QB contract in the NFL despite having only started 10 regular-season games in five seasons. Shanahan has made it clear he wants his quarterback to get some run before the games count.
“I’d like him to get in there for a little bit — not as much as Week 3,” Shanahan said. “It gets very monotonous in camp going against the same coverages every day, some different fronts, different looks, different techniques. We get more out of these two practices than we will in the game.”
Eyes will also be on the quarterback spot for the Broncos, who are breaking in veteran Joe Flacco. The Broncos sent a 2019 fourth-round pick — the 113th-overall selection — to Baltimore in a trade for the 11-year veteran hurler in the offseason.
Behind Flacco, the Broncos are trying to prepare for the future, most notably with second-round pick Drew Lock, who the team took in the second round of the draft this year. Broncos President of Football Operations/GM John Elway has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.
“He continues to get better,” Elway said of Lock. “He’s been overloaded. Any time you have a young guy like that, he’s going to have his good days and he’s going to have his bad days, but obviously we’re excited still about the talent that he has and what he’s showed. He’s flashed — a lot. But it’s a big jump for him, especially with what we’re doing offensively and [the] verbiage that goes along with it. That’s going to take him some time. He’s done a nice job.”
The NFL season officially begins on Thursday, Sept. 5 as NFC North Rivals Green Bay and Chicago face off.
The 49ers kick off their season on Sept. 8 against the Buccaneers. The Broncos open the season against the Oakland Raiders Sept. 9.