Welcome to Week 16! The NFL playoffs are looming, and there are two games today followed by a full slate tomorrow. The biggest game today is an NFC North showdown between longtime rivals Chicago and Green Bay, which starts tonight at 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast nationally on Fox.
On Sunday, the Bills will look to capitalize on their win last Sunday against the Patriots and keep the heat on their AFC East rivals. The Bills are in Cleveland to take on the Browns, who are in the middle of another lost season but are still worth watching because Myles Garrett is nearing the NFL's single-season sack record. The Bills-Browns game will be shown in most of the country as the 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) game on CBS, followed in nearly every market by the Steelers and Lions at 4:25 p.m. ET (1:25 p.m. PT) on CBS.
It's a bit more mixed for the single Fox game on Sunday, but the game that'll be shown in the most areas is the Chargers and Cowboys that starts at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), according to the coverage map on 506 Sports.
If you find yourself less interested in the games that are being broadcast in your area or your access is blocked because of an internet location glitch, there's an option to watch another game 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. With a VPN, you can watch any of today's games from anywhere.
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers in their first meeting this season and have a chance for revenge on Saturday night on their home turf. John Fisher/Getty Images
How to watch NFL Week 16 from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view this weekend's games locally because of incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch. 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.
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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 have 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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