Who are the Saints without Drew Brees?
The New Orleans Saints star quarterback will undergo surgery on this throwing thumb and is expected to miss approximately six weeks of football. Without Brees, what looked like a winnable game against a surprisingly soft Seattle Seahawks team now feels just out of reach.
If Teddy Bridgewater is going to succeed in relief, or at least post a couple wins in Brees’ absence, other things are going to have to go well. Last week, they didn’t. The Saints defensive line has been shaky. Tight end Jared Cook has underwhelmed. Against the Rams, New Orleans racked up 11 penalties.
The usual shining stars for the Saints also came up short last week. Playmakers like Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas didn’t produce at their usual level without their old general on the field.
On the bright side, all of this happened against a strong Rams team and while the Saints were adjusting to the shock of losing Brees. Perhaps, against a soft Seattle team, things will be different.
Yes, the Seahawks are 2-0, but it is about the weakest undefeated start imaginable. Seattle has squeaked by an awful Bengals team and a narrowly edged out a Steelers team reeling from the loss of Big Ben for the season.
While the Seahawks once again enter a favorable matchup against the Brees-free Saints, it’s not hard to imagine this team finding a way to lose.
Thus far, quarterback Russell Wilson has played well, and receiver D.K. Metcalf has come into his own. But, that connection has masked some weaknesses on this Seahawks squad. Chris Carson has had three fumbles in two weeks. The offensive line looks bad. The defense almost let Mason Rudolph come back against them.
This Seattle team could be a paper tiger.
New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks
- When: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 4:25pm ET
- Where: CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington
- Streaming: CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket
There are a number of options for watching Saints vs. Seahawks on streaming platforms that carry CBS. However, consult a coverage map to see what game your regional channel will be playing.
If a game is not being carried in your area, the only option might be an NFL Sunday Ticket package.
Saints vs. Seahawks live stream: How to watch NFL 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) FuboTV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
If you’re a big-time sports fan, FuboTV is your best streaming service option. If you love international soccer and you’re a Spanish speaker, FuboTV also offers various add-on packages, including Fubo Latino and Fubo Português. FuboTV’s basic plan showcases nearly 100 channels and includes NFL Network. At $54.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, BeIn Sports, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only notable omission for sports fans is ESPN. You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which allows you to stream NFL RedZone, (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
3) 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.
4) 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.)
5) 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 ESPNand FS1. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
6) NFL Sunday Ticket
Cost: $73.99 per month for four months, or one single payment of $293.96
There are two—and only two—ways of acquiring NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV. There’s NFLSundayTicket.TV, which costs $73.99 per month for four months. It’s everything you love NFL Sunday Ticket but online-only. You can stream from pretty much any device that connects to the internet (but only on one device at a time).
You can also upgrade to the NFLST.TV Max bundle for a total of $99 per month for four months or one single payment of $395.99. You can also add on NFL Game Pass, which allows you to watch replays of every game after they air, for $50 for the full season.
There’s another way to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV: Amazon Prime. While you can’t pay for the package using Amazon Prime, you can at least watch all of the games on the service. To start, first download the NFL Sunday Ticket channel on Amazon Prime. It’s free. From there, you’ll just need to sign in with your subscription credentials.
College students can purchase NFL Sunday Ticket at a discounted price through NFLSundayTicket.TV U.
Saints vs. Seahawks: Why it matters
You have to give the Seahawks the edge in this game, as Russell Wilson is great at finding a way to win against weaker opponents. With the Cardinals coming up in Week 4, Seattle could start 4-0 before their schedule takes a tougher turn.
A victory for the Seahawks isn’t a sure thing. Teddy Bridgewater has started games in his career and he often posted decent enough numbers before the Vikings parted ways with him. With a supporting cast this strong, it’s not hard to imagine the Saints grinding out a couple of wins in Brees’ absence.
While the Saints have a more talented roster overall, they are likely going to have to play very well and avoid mistakes if they want a victory here. By contrast, this Seattle team has shown they can have a messy moment here and there and rely on Wilson’s passing and Pete Carroll’s coaching to bail them out.
If Seattle wins here, they will remain competitive in the NFC as their schedule toughens up. If the Saints can find a path to victory, New Orleans might just survive Brees’ absence.
Though this is an early-season game, this matchup has the feeling that it could help either team keep their hopes alive, and set them up for a stronger road to the playoffs.
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)
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