Getty Matt Ryan and the Falcons meet the Vikings for a Week 1 NFL showdown on Sunday.
Fresh off signing star wide receiver Julio Jones to a massive extension, the Atlanta Falcons will hit the road to clash with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium to open the NFL season on Sunday.
The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET, and if it’s in your market (coverage map), it’ll be televised on Fox. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the Falcons vs Vikings on your computer, phone, Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox One, PS4, Smart TV or other device via one of the following streaming services:
If the Game is in Your Market: FuboTV
Fox (live in select markets, including Atlanta and Minneapolis) is one of 100-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle. Plus, if you’re looking to watch more NFL beyond this game, FuboTV is a great option, as CBS, NBC and NFL Network are also included, while NFL RedZone is available in the Sports Plus add-on.
You can start a free seven-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the Falcons vs Vikings 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.
If the Game is in Your Market: Hulu With Live TV
Hulu With Live TV comes with 60-plus live TV channels, including Fox (live select markets, including Atlanta and Jacksonville). It also has CBS, NBC and ESPN, making it the cheapest streaming service to have every channel that will have Falcons and Vikings games this season.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the Falcons vs Vikings 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.
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.
If the Game is in Your Market: Sling TV
Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” bundle comes with 40-plus live TV channels, including Fox (live in select markets, including Atlanta and Minneapolis). As far as other NFL channels go, only NFL Network is included in the “Sling Blue” package, while ESPN is in “Sling Orange” and CBS is not available on Sling.
You can start a free seven-day trial of Sling TV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the Falcons vs Vikings on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, cloud DVR is available as an add-on.
If the Game is out of Your Market: SundayTicket.TV
SundayTicket.TV allows you to watch a live stream of games that are out of your market and aren’t nationally televised. The service isn’t widely available, though, as it’s available for people who live in residences that can’t get satellite TV (apartments, condos, etc.), as well as residents of certain metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York City. You can check here to see if you’re eligible.
Additionally, most college students can get this service via SundayTicket U.
Once signed up, you can watch out-of-market 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 available on many different devices.
Viewers in Canada can watch every 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 Canada right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the Falcons vs Vikings 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.
Falcons vs Vikings Preview
Atlanta locked up Julio Jones long-term on the eve of kicking off their season, inking him to a three-year extension worth $66 million — all of which is all guaranteed. A whopping $64 million of which is due at signing, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN and it will keep him with the team for the next five seasons. He had two years left on his previous deal.
The deal is a testament to Jones’ talent. He’s averaged just a shade under 1,600 yards per season over his last six seasons, making the Pro Bowl every year over that span.
His largest output came in 2015, when he led the NFL with 1,871 yards and 136 catches. He also led the league in receiving yards last season with 1,677 yards.
The Vikings defense will be tasked with slowing down Jones, as the Vikings look to get off to a good start following a disappointing 8-7-1 finish a year ago that saw them miss the playoffs.
Defense will be key for both sides, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer made sure to disclose the high standard he holds his unit to.
“You have to play extremely hard. You have to play fast. You have to play smart. If you don’t run to the ball, if you don’t get going to the ball and swarm the ball, then you’re going to struggle,” Zimmer said. “”I have very high standards for the defense. I expect them to live up to my expectations, so I’m going to keep pushing them until we get there.”
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan tossed for 4,924 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns. However, he doesn’t expect anything to come easy against a unit that had three Pro Bowl players last season.
“Defensive line, second level, secondary, they all play physical. They’re solid tacklers,” Ryan told Atlanta area media members on Wednesday. “They do a nice job within their pressure package; they give you a bunch of different looks, stress your protections … and they attempt to make you uncomfortable.”
The Vikings offense needs to step up after a subpar season a year ago and the return of a hopefully healthy Dalvin Cook should help.
Cook, who’s entering his third season, missed the majority of his rookie year with an ACL injury and then was limited to 11 games with a nagging hamstring injury last season.
“I was brought here to do a job, and that job is to carry the football as many times as they want to hand it to me,” Cook told the Vikings official site. “Injuries happen, ups and downs happen in people’s career … and I was unfortunate enough to be one of those guys … I had some injuries and the bumps in the road.”
The Vikings are listed as 3.5-point favorites for the contest.