Today’s NFC Wild Card game between Chicago and New Orleans is a big one, being shown on Nickelodeon as well as more traditional national sports broadcasters like CBS. America’s youth could be the most devastating armchair quarterbacks around, so read on as we explain how to get a Bears vs Saints live stream and watch the NFL playoffs online wherever you are right now – the action is now under way in New Orleans and you don’t have to miss a single second of the big game.
After a rocky patch, New Orleans closed out its regular season with two blowout wins and the NFC South champs are big favorites against the generally average 8-8 Bears, who limped backwards into the playoffs by virtue of an Arizona Cardinals loss.
By contrast, the Saints’ recent performances have them looking like real Super Bowl contenders. Perhaps most importantly, future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees is back under center and looking fully fit again – but the hosts have got even more good news this week.
Crazy good New Orleans RB Alvin Kamara will be eligible to play again Sunday, when he comes off the NFL’s Covid-19 reserve list after a period of self-isolation, while star wide receiver Michael Thomas also looks set to return after his latest injury-related spell on the sidelines.
None of this is good news for the Bears…but who’s really going to be keeping score when SpongeBob SquarePants is in the house and all over your screen this Sunday? A novel addition to the commentary booth, for sure, the cartoon hero is being promoted as the main draw for Nickelodeon’s first foray into NFL coverage.
Follow our guide below as we explain how to watch Bears vs Saints online and get an NFL live stream today, no matter where you are for this NFC Wild Card game.
How to watch Bears vs Saints from outside your country
If you’ve mismatched a holiday or you’re away on business and you want to watch your country’s coverage from abroad, then you’ll need to use a VPN. This will help you dial in to a location back in your home country to avoid geo-blocks and regain access to the content and services you already pay for back home.
A VPN is generally perfect for this as it allows you to change your IP address so you appear to be in a completely different location when the big game is on.
Our top 3 VPNs to watch NFL playoff football from anywhere
1. ExpressVPN – the world’s best VPN right now
We’ve put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate ExpressVPN as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It’s also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.
Sign up for an annual plan now and get an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. And if you change your mind within the first 30 days, let them know and they’ll give you your money back without a quibble.
Once you’ve chosen and installed your VPN of choice, simply open the service’s corresponding app, hit ‘choose location’, select the appropriate country, and you’ll be able to watch the NFL playoffs online just as if you were back at home.
How to watch a FREE Bears vs Saints live stream for today’s NFL Wild Card playoffs game
Today’s Bears vs Saints NFC Wild Card game is being shown on CBS, Amazon Prime and – for a bonkers, slime-augmented twist – Nickelodeon. Kick-off is scheduled for 4.40pm ET / 1.40pm PT at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
If you haven’t already got CBS as part of your cable package, CBS All Access is available on a streaming-only basis from just $5.99 a month – and you can try it for free today. You can also tune in for free by taking advantage of the famous FREE Amazon Prime trial offer ($12.99 a month on a contract-free basis thereafter).
How to watch Bears vs Saints FREE without cable
In general though, we recommend fuboTV as the best way to watch NFL games without cable this season, including in the playoffs.
That’s because for complete coverage of all nationally televised NFL games in the 2020/21 regular season, you needed access to Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network – and only fuboTV currently offers them all to the best of our knowledge. Better still, it carries Nickelodeon, so you can experience its trippy take on football this weekend as well.
Pricing starts from $64.99 a month, which is a darn sight cheaper than cable, and there’s even a FREE 7-day fuboTV trial you can take advantage of. That means you can watch today’s Bears vs Saints game 100% free, if that’s what you decide.
Don’t forget, you can take your favorite NFL streaming coverage with you wherever you are with the help of a good VPN – try the best around, ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30-days.
Not interested in signing up for cable or for a streaming service? Yahoo is showing every NFL game that’s being broadcast in your local TV market for free in its Yahoo Sports app, including the Chicago Bears vs New Orleans Saints playoff clash today.
FREE Bears vs Saints live stream: how to watch 2021 NFL playoffs online in Canada
Today’s Bears vs Saints clash kicks off at 4.40pm ET / 1.40pm PT in Canada, with linear TV coverage available through TSN, CTV and RDS.
When it comes to streaming though, Canadian NFL fans are some of the luckiest in the world, as DAZN includes coverage of every 2021 NFL playoff game.
That obviously means that the Bears vs Saints game is covered, and it’s an absolute steal as DAZN costs just CAD$20 a month or $150 a year – there’s even a free DAZN trial deal currently running that will get you access for nothing!
Not only do you get every single NFL game, including NFL Game Pass and RedZone access, but DAZN’s also the exclusive Canadian streaming home of Premier League and Champions League soccer!
It comes with support for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, PS4, and laptop/PC streaming (including Mac devices).
Saints vs Bears live stream UK: how to watch NFL playoff Wild Card game online
The Saints vs Bears NFC Wild Card game is being aired in the UK on Sky Sports, with coverage starting at 9.30pm GMT ahead of a 9.40pm kick-off.
If you don’t have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, it also offers a streaming-only service called Now TV, which lets you buy contract-free access to all the American football action.
Alternatively, you can tune in to the Saints vs Bears game via NFL Game Pass Pro from just £1.99 a week – or, for a flat fee of £50, get access through the end of July 2021, which will see you through the playoffs, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, 2021 NFL Draft and more.
Not in the UK but still want to catch the action on Game Pass? Grabbing a VPN will let you log into a UK IP address so you can live stream NFL as if you were at home. This also lets you get around any blackout restrictions that sometimes apply to games aired by Sky.
How to watch New Orleans Saints vs Chicago Bears FREE: live stream NFL playoffs in Australia
If you live in Australia, you’re spoiled for choice for the big Saints vs Bears NFC Wild Card game, which is scheduled to start at 8.40am AEDT on Monday morning Down Under.
But we’d look no further than FREE-to-air 7Mate, which is showing all six of this weekend’s Wild Card games – and that of course includes the Saints vs Bears.
If you’re not in front of your TV though, Kayo Sports, a favourite for cord-cutters, is offering a Saints vs Bears live stream – and it should be showing all the NFL games from now on, plus loads more sporting coverage from top-tier soccer (La Liga, Serie A, FA Cup) to US sports like the NBA and NHL.
The streaming service has a Basic and a Premium plan, with the difference being you can watch on two devices with the Basic plan for $25 per month and on three devices with the Premium plan for $35 per month.
The best news? Both plans come with a FREE 14-day trial, so if you’re looking just to watch a specific game or two you can cancel after the 14 days.
Plus, our latest testing reveals that Australian residents who’ve subscribed to Kayo can use the streaming service even if they’re abroad – our No.1 rated VPN offering 3-months FREE right now with an annual plan working brilliantly with the platform as of January 2021.
ESPN, available through Foxtel, is broadcasting the game too, and you can stream it to your laptop or mobile device using the Foxtel Go app, but you’ll need your Foxtel ID to access the app.
Alternatively, live-for-it NFL fans can sign up for an NFL Game Pass as it is also available in Australia, and even though it is marginally more expensive you have a much wider range of features.
Should I buy an NFL Game Pass?
Watching NFL online has never been easier thanks to the wide variety of streaming services now available. However, the league also has its own streaming service called the NFL Game Pass which allows die-hard football fans to watch every game.
It’s really geared towards international fans and that’s where it’s a great option. In most of the NFL’s main international markets, a Game Pass Pro subscription will get you access to every single regular season and playoff game live, plus the Super Bowl, and you also get the league’s live highlights show, RedZone. It costs £1.99 a week or £50 through July 2021 in the UK so if you’re a big fan who watches multiple games every week, it breaks down quite favourably.
As well as the UK and Ireland, the service is available in countries like Mexico, Germany and most of Europe, and Australia – with only ‘domestic markets’ the US and Canada missing out on the full-fat offering.
Instead, there’s a US and Canada-only Game Pass option available for $99 a a year that lets you watch commercial-free full game replays right after they’ve finished. Not the worst offer we’ve ever heard, but don’t get caught out – GamePass does not offer live NFL games in the US or Canada.
Should you decide to give Game Pass a shot, apps for Android and iOS mobile devices as well as on the likes of Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, PS4, and more – plus you can obviously watch on your laptop or desktop computer through a browser.
The only caveat for non-domestic markets (e.g. the UK) are that some games are subject to blackout restrictions due to deals with local pay TV providers (e.g. Sky).
Chicago Bears vs New Orleans Saints predictions
It would arguably be the upset of the weekend if Chicago manage to get the W today – but we’ve watched this game for long enough to have seen stranger things happen.
Mitch Trubisky could produce an incredible performance out of nowhere – especially with his job as the Bears starting QB is indisputably on the line. Chicago’s fearsome D could put on the kind of clinic they’re capable of, containing the Saints’ dynamic offense by just enough to eek out a shock win. The refs could blow a big call, or its special teams unit could make a huge play at just the right time.
There are these and many other possibilities for today’s Bears vs Saints game. But they’re not the likeliest ones by any stretch, with the Vegas bookmakers predicting a fairly handy New Orleans win – and we wouldn’t care to disagree.