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How to Watch the Patriots vs. Bills 'Monday Night Football' Game Online for Free Tonight

By:
Brad Tuttle
4 min read
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 23-3. - Brett Carlsen—Getty Images
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 23-3. Brett Carlsen—Getty Images

The "Monday Night Football" game tonight is New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills, with a kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.

The Patriots and Bills are both in the AFC East, though they're currently at the opposite ends of their division: The Patriots lead the division at 5-2, while the Bills are 2-5, good for last place. The "Monday Night Football" game is being played in Buffalo, but hometown advantage might not come into play: the Patriots vs. Bills betting odds say that the visiting Patriots are 14-point favorites to win.

"Monday Night Football" is broadcast on ESPN, the major sports-focused pay channel included in most satellite and cable TV packages. But there are ways to watch the Patriots vs. Bills game for free — online or on TV — even if you don't have cable. Here are your best options.

How to Live Stream the Patriots vs. Bills for Free

Sports fans can live stream many NFL games for free in the 2018 season — including "Monday Night Football" — on their smartphones with the Yahoo Sports app or the NFL app. Just download the newest version of either app and you'll get free live streams of every NFL game broadcast locally in your area on CBS, Fox, and NBC (including "Sunday Night Football"), as well as ESPN's "Monday Night Football" and Fox and the NFL Network's "Thursday Night Football."

This is probably the easiest way to stream NFL games airing on ESPN if you don't have cable and want to watch "Monday Night Football" online for free. The one issue for fans is that they can only live stream the Patriots vs. Bills and other games through their phones. Streaming on a tablet, connected TV, or any other large screen is not available with these apps.

How to Watch "Monday Night Football" for Free Online

If you don't have cable and want to watch the Patriots vs. Bills game online on a screen that's larger than your smartphone, consider registering for a free trial of a streaming TV service that includes ESPN.

Which streaming TV service is best to watch the NFL? And for sports in general? Every streaming TV service has a different roster of channels and amenities. So you have to look closely at what's included — and perhaps try out a few during their free trials — to see which streaming service is best for you.

Hulu Live, DirecTV Now, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV all include ESPN with their basic packages, alongside dozens of other channels, and they all offer new subscribers free trials that last about a week. You could sign up for a free trial today and watch "Monday Night Football" online for free, and then still have most of the week to further test out the service.

The streaming TV packages that include ESPN start at $25 to $45 per month, which kicks in after the free trial period is over. Just remember to cancel before the trial period ends if you do not want to become a paying subscriber.

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