For some teams, Week 3 can feel like a must-win game.
Expectations were never quite sky high for the Chicago Bears or the Washington Redskins going into this season, but both teams certainly hoped they wouldn’t be sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions so early on.
The unimpressive Redskins are 0-2, and the Bears are 1-1 after a win over an equally weak Broncos squad last week. Both teams are going to look to shake things up in Week 3.
For the Bears, the key is their quarterback play. Mitch Trubisky has to play better. The QB threw for just 120 yards last week, and is nursing a weak 58% completion percentage through two games. He has talent around him; he just isn’t using it.
On the bright side, Trubisky may not have to play perfect football for the Bears to line up a few wins. Safety Eddie Jackson had a stellar game last week, leading a defense that looks like it might be elite. Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, and Khalil Mack have also played well early this season.
Washington has even less to be optimistic about so far the season. Both of the Redskin losses have been divisional games, and it’s hard to see things getting better. The team is weak on both sides of the ball. The leaky ‘Skins defense is already third-worst in the NFL measuring by yards allowed.
Rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin has shined as something of a lone bright spot in D.C., but Case Keenum is not a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Though Keenum has been serviceable through two weeks, a non-existent running game isn’t doing the journeyman any favors.
Neither team is playing pretty football at the moment, but you have to give the edge to a Bears squad that is at least doing something right.
| HOW TO WATCH BEARS VS. REDSKINS | |
| SLING TV | TRY NOW |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins
- When: Monday, Sept. 23 at 8:15pm ET
- Where: FedExField in Landover, Maryland
- Streaming: Monday Night Football airs exclusively on ESPN. You can stream ESPN on a number of streaming platforms.
Bears vs. Redskins live stream: How to watch MNF online
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Both Sling Blue ($25 per month) or Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month) include NFL Network and a number of sports channels—like three ESPN channels, NBCSN, and FS1—and it’s still a nice perk that Sling subscribers can order a la carte packages. Sling TV also offers a special Latino package for bilingual viewers. Sling TV is currently offering a deal where you can subscribe for 40% off the regular price for the first month of your subscription. That means Sling Blue would cost $15, and Sling Orange + Blue would cost $25. (Here’s a complete guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.)
For $10 extra per month, you can get NFL RedZone via the Sling Blue Sports Extra package.
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of the Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels.
2) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
If you’d like to watch live NFL games directly from your PS4, PlayStation Vue is your best bet. PlayStation also works with streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire products, but what separates PlayStation from the rest of the streaming services is that it’s also compatible with Kodi. No matter how you stream, you’ll get to choose from four tiers of channels—all but the cheapest include NFL Network. From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, Outside TV, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks. You can see the full list of PlayStation Vue channels here. Two other great perks: You can stream on up to five devices at once, and there’s also unlimited cloud DVR.
3) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
4) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football fans, including ESPN and FS1. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
Bears vs. Redskins: Why it matters
These teams both need wins now. The Bears will see the Vikings, Saints, Chargers, and Eagles in the next six weeks. Washington will get the Patriots, 49ers, and Vikings in the same stretch. At a certain point, you have to wonder when the wins will start coming.
Neither team has a particularly elite offense, and some of their pass-catching and running options will have to step up if either team is going to hope for .500.
While the Bears defense is showing flashes of brilliance, that won’t matter if they repeat their three-point Week 1 performance again.
The Redskins should start finding out if first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins gives them something to build around some game soon. Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine the Jay Gruden era ending on an impressive note.
If either team is going to dig their way out of their early-season slumps, the long march has to start against a soft opponent in Week 3.
The loser of this game will have 13 weeks of football left to play, and those could be some very long weeks without many wins to look forward to.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL RedZone without cable
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV satellite
- How to watch NFL Network online (without cable)
For a year-round sports fix, sign up here to receive our weekly boxing newsletter. You’ll hear about all the biggest fights and best knockouts from the Daily Dot’s streaming sports guru Josh Katzowitz.
The Daily Dot may receive a payment in connection with purchases of products or services featured in this article. Click here to learn more.
