This is exactly the kind of game you like to see flexed into Sunday Night Football. The 9-4 Buffalo Bills and the 8-5 Pittsburgh Steelers will face off as both teams try to secure wild card playoff berths.
If the NFL season were to end right now, the Bills and the Steelers would enter the postseason as the AFC’s number five and number six seeds respectively. However, the Ryan Tannehill-led Titans’ resurgence means the loser of this game could be in danger of missing the playoffs.
This game is particularly interesting because these teams have used similar approaches to pile up wins this season. Pittsburgh has once again become a defense-first team with a ball-hawking approach to changing games. Buffalo is also a top-ten defense (sixth compared to Pittsburg’s 3rd), and has minimized quarterback Josh Allen’s flaws by aggressively building up its run game and calling lots of short passes.
It’s hard to say who will win this game. While the Bills have had a more effective offense, Devlin “Duck” Hodges gets more comfortable leading the Steelers offense each week. And while Pittsburgh is great at generating game-changing defensive plays, Buffalo’s D is also capable of winning games.
Look for a smashmouth game with everything on the line for both teams. And it will be in chilly Pittsburgh: Exactly what December football should be. Here’s everything you need to know to live stream Steelers vs. Bills, including what to watch for on the field.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills
- When: 8:20pm ET, Sunday, Dec. 15 (coverage begins at 7pm ET)
- Where: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Streaming: Sunday Night Football airs exclusively on NBC and is available on any platform that carries the network. Fans have a number of options for streaming the week’s marquee game.
How to stream Sunday Night Football 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, FS1, Fs2, and NBCSN—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 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) 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 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.)
5) NBC Sports app
Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox, iOS and Android devices
If you have cable or one of the aforementioned live TV streaming services, you can download the NBC Sports app and watch Sunday Night Football there in HD. If you’re using a web browser, you may need to install the latest version of Adobe Flash and your browser will need to be current enough to support HTML5 Media Source Extensions. You’ll also need an internet connection of at least 10 Mbps. (Here are some tips for faster Wi-Fi.)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills stream: What to watch for
This late in the season, it is tough to find two teams as evenly matched as these squads. While you have to give the Steelers the edge on defense, the Bills are a bit better on offense, with the more seasoned Josh Allen under center.
Though Duck Hodges is less experienced than Allen, and the Steelers will likely be a bit more conservative in terms of offensive playcalling, Pittsburgh’s offense has done pretty well recently. Last week against the Cardinals, Hodges went 16/19 for 152 yards and no interception. Those aren’t Pro Bowl numbers, but with this defense, numbers like that can be enough to win.
The Steelers’ amazing defense has eight or nine players who can make a star turn on a given week. Last week, it was T.J. Watt (interception), Joe Haden (2 interceptions), and Bud Dupree (5 tackles, 1 sack) who stood out on this elite unit.
The Bills have plenty of players to praise as well. The emergence of Devin Singletary as the featured runner in Buffalo has been the key to their season. He notched 89 yards last week, averaging over five yards per carry. John Brown was quiet last week against the Ravens, but his renaissance has been another great story for the Bills.
Buffalo’s defense hasn’t been quite as flashy as Pittsburgh’s this season, but players like Tremaine Edmunds, Shaq Lawson, and Ed Oliver anchor one of the league’s best units.
It’s really hard to call this one. You probably have to give the Bills the slight edge with Josh Allen the more dependable of the starting quarterbacks. But if either of these defenses gets to the quarterback or has a well-timed interception, the flow of the game could change in an instant.
Odds
The Steelers are 1-point favorites according to William Hill.
Remaining games
Steelers: Dec. 21 at New York Jets, Dec. 29 at Baltimore Ravens
Bills: Dec. 21 at New England Patriots, Dec. 29 vs. New York Jets
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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