Though both the Packers and the Vikings came out of Week 1 with wins, it looks like it might be Minnesota’s turn atop the NFC North in 2019.
While the Green Bay Packers have the great Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the NFC North has actually been split fairly evenly between them, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Chicago Bears in recent years.
It’s hard to tell too much from Week 1, but surveying the North, it looks like it might be the Vikings’ turn at the top of the heap.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has one of the strongest supporting casts in all of football: Running back Dalvin Cook and top receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Cousins only had to chuck the ball 10 times to beat the Falcons last week, as Atlanta was overwhelmed by their superior firepower.
Cook finished with 111 yards and two touchdowns on the game. Thielen still managed three catches and a TD despite limited opportunities.
The Vikings look equally strong on defense. Safety Anthony Harris notched two picks last week and defensive end Danielle Hunter pressured Matt Ryan 10 times.
In their first outing, the Packers were less successful on the offensive side of the ball. Though Green Bay held Chicago to just three points, Rodgers only managed a pedestrian 200 yards in the air. It looks like the Packers are going to struggle a bit as they try to implement Matt LaFleur’s new offensive scheme.
Defensive trio Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and Adrian Amos had great games in an impressive effort. How much of the stellar defensive performance can be chalked up to the Bears poor play remains to be seen.
In Week 1, the Vikings looked complete while the Packers looked inconsistent. Unless Green Bay makes some fixes this week, Week 2 might look the same.
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
- When: Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1pm ET
- Where: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Streaming: FOX, NFL Sunday Ticket
There are a number of options for watching Packers vs. Vikings on streaming platforms that carry FOX. 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.
Packers vs. Vikings 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 (after a 7-day free trial)
- 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.
Packers vs. Vikings: Why it matters
The winner of the NFC North tends to have a big impact on the playoff picture, and it’s always exciting to see who will come out of the division.
This game matters because it is a nice early measuring stick of where the division stands. If you just look at the rosters, you would expect the Vikings to take control of the North, but of course, you never know for sure until the games are played.
If the Vikings cruise through their division, this might just be their year. While Kirk Cousins isn’t the best quarterback in the league, he might be good enough to take this incredibly talented roster all the way. Last week proved that either the running game or the passing game can provide a path to victory.
However, NFC North teams have a tendency to beat each other up. An NFC North team hasn’t made it to the Super Bowl since the Packers did it in 2011.
On Sunday, we will see just how strong this Vikings team is, and if Aaron Rodgers’ Packers team can click before Minnesota delivers another blowout.
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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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