by The San Francisco 49ers, who won the NFC West for the first time since 2019, will look to continue their seven-game winning streak when they take on the Washington Commanders in this Christmas Eve clash. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been in unstoppable form but comes into this game with a rib injury sustained in his team’s 13-21 win over the Seahawks last Thursday.
Purdy and company now face a Commanders side who still have hopes of making the playoffs despite struggling on offense. They suffered a series of missed chances in the red zone against the Giants last Sunday, with quarterback Taylor Heinicke now under a lot of pressure. Kick-off in Santa Clara is imminent 4:05 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on CBS.
The game will continue to be televised in the San Francisco and Washington areas (according to 506 Sports). Live TV Streaming services, but there may be instances where you get blocked due to internet location error or you just want an extra layer of Streaming privacy. There is an option where you don’t have to subscribe to anything like that NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plusor search the internet for a patchy site: a virtual private network, or VPN.
Here’s how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN.
Continue reading: NFL 2022: How to watch and stream every game live wirelessly
Brock Purdy hopes to shake off a rib injury ahead of Gameweek 16.
Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
Commanders vs. 49ers game today: when and where?
In Week 16 of the NFL season, the 49ers host the Commanders at 4:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. PT) on CBS. The game is scheduled to take place in California at Levi’s Stadium.
Look at that:
What It’s Like to Play VR Football: NFL Pro Era Hands-On
8:17
How to watch Commanders vs 49ers game online from anywhere with a VPN
If you find that you are unable to play the game due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need another way to watch the game and this is where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to prevent your ISP from throttling your speed on game day by encrypting your traffic. Also, it’s a great idea when you’re on the go and feel connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy to your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to gain access to the game. So if your ISP or cellphone provider assigned you an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can fix this problem by assigning you an IP address in your correct non-blackout zone. Most VPNs, like ours Editor’s Choice, ExpressVPNmake 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 have a legitimate subscription to the service you are streaming. You should make sure your VPN is set up properly to avoid leaks: even if VPNs are legal, the streaming service can terminate the account of people it believes are bypassing blackout restrictions applied correctly.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great ones VPN offers is happening right now.
Sarah Tew/CNET
ExpressVPN is our current top VPN choice for people who want a reliable and secure VPN, and it works on a wide range of devices. It usually costs $13 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% and get three months of free access — that’s $6.67 a month — if you purchase an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream of Commanders vs. 49ers game in USA
This week’s Commanders 49ers game is on CBS, so you’ll need an in addition to a VPN Live TV streaming service which carries a local CBS affiliate that airs the game. The cheapest service of this type is Paramount Plus. You must be subscribed to Paramount Plus’ Essential or Premium plans to view the game (or an older plan with “limited commercials”).
Paramount Plus has two main options: Essential for $5 per month ($50 per year when paid annually) and Premium for $10 per month ($100 per year when paid annually). Both offer live NFL games, although the cheaper Essential option lacks live CBS feeds, ad-free content for on-demand streaming, or the ability to download shows to watch offline later.
Since both options work for the NFL games, if all you want is football, the cheaper Essential option would be the way to go.
Read our Paramount Plus review.
Numerous others Live TV Streaming Services also carry local CBS stations, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and FuboTV. They all cost more than Paramount Plus, but also carry more channels, including football-specific channels like Fox, ESPN, NFL Network, and/or RedZone. Check out ours Live TV Streaming Channels Guide for details.
Quick tips for streaming Commanders vs. 49ers games with a VPN
Screenshot by Sarah Lord/CNET
- Because there are four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider, and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- We successfully tested the game with an ExpressVPN server in San Francisco, so that’s one place to watch the game.
- If you don’t see your desired location as the default option for ExpressVPN, try the “Browse by city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after turning on your VPN and setting it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log in to your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered to the account is an address in the correct viewing space. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file for your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps that you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll need to install the VPN on your router or whatever mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that every device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main page to quickly install the VPN on your router. In some cases, after installing a cable network sports app, Smart TV services will ask you to confirm a numeric code or click a link that will be sent to your email address associated with your Smart TV is deposited. Having a VPN on your router also helps here as both devices seem to be in the right place.
- And remember that despite using a VPN, browsers can often reveal a location, so make sure you’re using a privacy-friendly browser to log into their services. We usually recommend Brave.
How we test VPN streaming for Saturday NFL games
For each game, we use a combination of ExpressVPN and either Paramount Plus (for CBS games) or Sling TV Blue (for Fox games). Using 506 Sports’ maps, we determine which servers are nearby and connect to one, then start the streaming service and tune in to the local CBS or Fox affiliate. If the channel comes through, it’s successful and we’ll report the results above. We also take screenshots of the relevant program guide listings (above) on either the local CBS affiliate website or on Sling TV.
