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How to Watch the Chargers vs. Chiefs 'Thursday Night Football' Game Online for Free Tonight

By: Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle, expert in Personal finance, shopping, consumer trends, and Senior Editor at Money
Brad Tuttle
Senior Editor | Joined January 2014
Brad Tuttle is a senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.
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Published: Dec 13, 2018 6 min read
Los Angeles Chargers v Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 16, 2017.
Peter G. Aiken—Getty Images
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The Chargers vs. Chiefs game tonight on "Thursday Night Football" is one of the 2018 NFL season's best matchups. And luckily, football fans everywhere can watch the Chargers vs. Chiefs game for free tonight — online, on TV, or live streaming on a smartphone. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET, and the main TV broadcast is on Fox.

Who is the favorite in the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game tonight? The Chiefs, who are 11-2 and are playing at home at Arrowhead Stadium, are 3.5-point favorites to beat the Chargers, who have a 10-3 record and have won their last three games.

The Chiefs and Chargers both play in the AFC West Division, so tonight's "Thursday Night Football" game is not only a matchup of two of the league's best teams, it could be critical to nailing down the division championship and AFC playoff seeds.

Here are all the details for how to watch the Chargers vs. Chiefs game for free tonight.

What Channel Is the Chiefs vs. Chargers "Thursday Night Football" Game On?

To watch "Thursday Night Football" on TV tonight, simply find your local Fox channel. Like most "Thursday Night Football" games this season, the main Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs TV broadcast is being handled by Fox. The game is also on TV on the pay channel NFL Network.

If you have satellite TV, cable TV, or another pay TV service, it probably includes Fox and may also have NFL Network. But even if you don't have cable, you should be able to watch the Chargers vs. Chiefs game for free on TV with the assistance of a digital antenna.

A decent digital antenna costs about $25, and once it's hooked up to your TV you'll be able to watch local broadcasts of nearby network channels completely for free.

What channels can you watch for free with a digital TV antenna? The answer varies based on where you live, and the strength of your antenna. But in most of the country, a digital antenna lets you watch broadcasts of all the major networks — including Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, and PBS — for free. It's a great deal if you have cut the cord and don't want to pay for cable or another TV service.

How to Live Stream the Chargers vs. Chiefs Game for Free

There are several ways to live stream "Thursday Night Football" for free tonight. First off, as we have reported previously, fans can watch "Thursday Night Football" online for free — in addition to many other NFL games — on their phones. Here's how:

The free NFL game live streams available on these apps generally work only on phones. You can't use the apps to watch "Thursday Night Football" online on a larger screen, such as a laptop or smart TV.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, however, you can watch the Chargers vs. Chiefs "Thursday Night Football" game online for free on any screen you like. Amazon is live streaming the "Thursday Night Football" game tonight on Prime Video, and the stream is free for all Prime members. Just log in to your Prime account and head to Prime Video to watch the game on your preferred device.

In addition to "Thursday Night Football" live streams and other Prime Video content, Amazon Prime membership comes with perks such as free two-day shipping on most Amazon purchases and special discounts at Amazon-owned Whole Foods.

Amazon Prime membership generally costs $119 per year or $12.99 per month. If you are a new subscriber, you can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime.

Yet another way to live stream "Thursday Night Football" for free tonight is by registering for a free trial of a streaming TV service that includes local Fox broadcasts in its bundle of channels. In most of the country, the streaming TV services Fubo TV, Hulu Live, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV include local broadcasts of major, over-the-air networks like Fox, ABC, and CBS in their packages — which also include dozens of other pay channels.

The monthly cost of these streaming TV services starts at about $40 per month, but all are available for free to new subscribers for a week. So, you could register today and live stream "Thursday Night Football" for free, and then have the rest of the week to check the service out during the free trial. Just remember that if you don't want to become a paying subscriber, you must cancel before the free-trial period ends.

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