If these two teams are the future of the NFL, the NFL was in trouble in Week 1.
Star quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold led their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets, to abysmal outings in their regular-season debuts.
Mayfield was merely part of the problem for the Browns. They failed in all phases of the game in their humiliating 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans, who many think is among the worst teams in the league. 18 penalties. Three fourth-quarter turnovers. Five sacks allowed. Not much went well for the Dawg Pound.
The Jets Week 1 loss was a little less embarrassing, but it was by no means impressive. New York blew a 16-point lead while generating only 223 yards of total offense.
Outside of Mayfield’s three picks, the Browns QB looked better than his New York counterpart in Week 1. Baker’s respectable 25 or 38 for 285 was much better than Darnold’s pathetic 28 of 41 for 175.
There are some silver linings here though. Both teams’ stars looked decent and a win on Monday night might well go to the team that can push their best players to the next level. Despite the pass heavy environment of a blow out, Cleveland’s Nick Chubb had almost 100 total yards. Odell Beckham Jr. caught 7 passes for 71 yards in his Browns debut.
If Jets defensive powerhouse C.J. Mosley had played the entire game against the Bills, New York might have squeaked it out. Mosley had 5 tackles, 2 passes defended, a pick-six, and a fumble recovery before leaving with an injury.
On the offensive side of the ball, key offseason acquisition Le’Veon Bell showed flashes of brilliance, gaining yards after contact, just as he often did as a Steeler.
If one of these QBs can have a more consistent game in Week 2, the talent around them might be enough to amount to an impressive performance. While both of these teams are down, it’s too early to count them out.
HOW TO WATCH BROWNS VS. JETS | |
HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
SLING TV | TRY NOW |
Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets
- When: Monday, Sept. 16 at 8:15pm ET
- Where: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Streaming: Monday Night Football airs exclusively on ESPN. You can stream ESPN on a number of streaming platforms.
Browns vs. Jets 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.)
Browns vs. Jets: Why it matters
Pre-season buzz isn’t always worth much, and last week, these two teams showed that hype isn’t everything. But many squads have overcome poor Week 1 performances to have great seasons. These teams have a chance to hit the reset button on Monday Night Football and set the tone for better things.
Of course, the key will be the young quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield needs to keep up the gunslinging without throwing picks. Sam Darnold simply needs to find a way to generate more production. It’s going to be hard to beat anyone, let alone a quarterback like Mayfield, if you throw for under 200 yards.
Both squads are stocked with a fresh batch of talent, but stars like Odell Beckham Jr. and Le’Veon Bell can only do so much on their own. If the quarterbacks toss the ball into the hands of the other opposing team, these all-stars won’t have a chance to flash.
If either of these teams wants to amount to more than hype, expectations, and hope for the future, they are going to have to turn things around soon. Monday Night Football is a good occasion to do just that.
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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