Getty
The Detroit Lions will host the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots at Ford Field on Thursday to open each team’s 2019 preseason schedule.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET. Here’s a rundown of how to watch the Patriots vs Lions online without cable, with the live streaming options being dependent on where you reside:
If The Game is in Your Market
First, you’ll want to know what channel the game is on. It’s on CBS in Boston and Fox in Detroit, and it will be on either ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW or MyTV in other cities.
Then, if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of one, some or all of these channels (in select markets) on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV or other streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:
Fans in Boston & Saginaw: Amazon Prime
If the game is on CBS in your area (as it is in Boston, MA and Saginaw, MI), Amazon Prime’s CBS channel is a great option.
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all live and on-demand CBS content via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which 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 the Patriots vs Lions on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
Fans in Boston, Detroit & Other Select Markets: FuboTV
CBS, Fox, NBC and CW (all live in select markets; view channels in your area) are among the 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free seven-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the Patriots vs Lions on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Fans in Boston, Detroit & Other Select Markets: PlayStation Vue
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages, all of which include CBS, Fox, ABC, NBC and MyTV (all live in select markets; view channels in your area).
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Patriots vs Lions 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.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
If The Game is Out of Your Market
You can watch every out-of-market preseason NFL game online via NFL Game Pass, which costs $99.99 for the season (or you can pay four installments of $29.99).
You can start a free trial of NFL Game Pass right here, and then if the game is outside of your market, you can watch the Patriots vs Lions on your computer via the Game Pass website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NFL app.
If You’re in Canada: DAZN
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 Patriots vs Lions 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.
Patriots vs Lions Preview
The preseason tilt, accompanied by a trio of joint practices between the two squads, serves as a homecoming of sorts for Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy, whom the Lions drafted in second round in 2014 before shipping him to New England during the 2016 campaign.
“Feels good to come back a winner and say ‘Hi’ to people I haven’t seen in a while,” Van Noy said Monday after the first joint practice, according to Patriots.com. “I’m happy to get to work and get to hang out with my teammates and see old faces, the behind the scenes people that don’t get enough credit. There are so many I could just name behind the scenes people that have been so good to me and my family that I gotta show them love when I come back. They’ve been amazing to me and always have and always will be.”
Van Noy recorded 39 tackles and one sack in 30 regular season games for Detroit. Since landing in New England, he’s recorded 194 tackles and 10 sacks in 36 regular season contests and won a pair of Super Bowls.
“Kyle’s done a good job for us,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, per Patriots.com. “He fits well into our scheme. The scheme that he was in before I think was maybe not as good of a fit for him, similar to when we got [Roosevelt] Colvin from the Bears. Sometimes, some players just fit into one situation and one scheme better than another. Kyle’s done a great job for us. He’s smart, he’s very instinctive, he does a good job with communication, he can call signals. We have multiple signal-callers on our defense, and that’s a good thing that helps us with communication and adjustments. He’s made a lot of big plays for us since we got him. I’m glad we have him. He’s done a great job.”
In March, the Lions inked former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola to a one-year, $4.5 million contract. Amendola, who caught a touchdown in each of New England’s Super Bowl victories following the 2014 and 2016 seasons, raved about Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford after Detroit’s first day of training camp.
“He’s up there with the best I’ve been with,” Amendola said, according to 247Sports. “Extremely cerebral player. He can anticipate. He’s been doing it for a long time at an extremely high level so I’m happy to be here.”
The wideout added: “Any time we’re able to get together to get reps is positive. We’re out here trying to steal as many reps as possible before practice, after practice. In the weight room. Talking about ideas and trying to get better.”