When to watch Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. ET).
Where to watch
The Bears-Lions game will air on Fox, with Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma on the call.
The Bears and Lions are each still searching for their first win of the season and meet in Detroit today to see who can avoid an 0-2 start. It's a homecoming for new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who spent the last three seasons as the Lions' offensive coordinator. His top task this season is to get the Bears' offense clicking behind former first overall pick Caleb Williams, who looked shaky last week in the team's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Meanwhile, the Lions' offense looked sluggish with plays being called by John Morton, whom the team tabbed as offensive coordinator after Johnson's departure. Despite returning most of its starters from last year's offense, the Lions scored only 13 points and didn't find the endzone until the final minute of the game in last week's loss at Lambeau.
The Bears and Lions kick off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Fox. Here's how you can watch or stream it live, even if the game isn't available on your local Fox channel.
The game will be shown on TV in the Chicago and Detroit areas (according to 506 Sports) and on live TV streaming services, but there may be cases where you're blocked because of an internet location glitch. But there's an option that doesn't require subscribing to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus or searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a virtual private network.
Here's how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN.
Read more: How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable in 2025
Jared Goff registered 31 of 39 for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Detroit Lions' season-opening defeat to Green Bay last weekend. John Fisher/Getty Images
How to watch the Bears vs. Lions game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the game and that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, plus it's a great idea for when you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you've got a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
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How to watch Bears vs. Lions in the US
Sunday's Bears vs. Lions game is on Fox. The good news for football fans is that Fox is available on all five major live TV streaming services, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area. You can also stream games broadcast on Fox with the new Fox One streaming app.
Sarah Tew/CNET YouTube TV Carries Fox for $83 per month For $83 a month, you'll get all the major football channels with YouTube TV, including Fox. You can also add RedZone for an extra $11 per month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. YouTube TV is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that Sunday Ticket doesn't include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren't being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you'll need Sunday Ticket plus a YouTube TV subscription (or just get Sunday Ticket and then use an antenna for local games). To get the full experience of your local games, NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone, you'll need the YouTube TV base plan ($83 per month), Sunday Ticket ($276 for returning subscribers or $480 for new subscribers for the season) and the Sports Plus add-on ($11 per month). See at YouTube TV
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
An over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option for Fox. The best part about antennas is that there are no streaming or monthly fees required, although you will need to make sure you have good reception.
Quick tips for streaming the Bears vs. Lions game using a VPN