Bills vs. Bears Livestream: How to Watch NFL Week 16 Online Today

The Bills have clinched a playoff spot, but can take the AFC East title with a win on the road against the Bears on Saturday. A win in Chicago would also help the Bills in their race with the Chiefs for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Both the Bills and Chiefs are 11-3, and the Bills hold the tiebreaker thanks to their win over the Chiefs earlier this year. Kickoff in Chicago is set for 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Saturday on CBS.

The game will be shown on TV in the Buffalo and Chicago areas (according to 506 Sports) on live TV streaming services, but there may be cases where you’re blocked because of an internet location glitch or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming. There’s an option that won’t require you to subscribe to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus, or search the internet for a sketchy website: a virtual private network, or VPN.

Here’s how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN. 

Read more: NFL 2022: How to Watch, Livestream Every Game Live Without Cable

QB Josh Allen shone in a memorable win for the Bills over the Dolphins last Saturday.

Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images Bills vs. Bears game today: When and where?

For Week 16 of the NFL season, the Bears are hosting the Bills at 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT) on CBS. The game is set to take place at Soldier Field in Chicago.

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How to watch the Bills vs. Bears game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the game and 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.

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’ve got 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.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription. 

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream the Bills vs. Bears game in the US

This week’s Bills-Bears game is on CBS, so in addition to a VPN you’ll need a live TV streaming service that carries a local CBS affiliate that’s broadcasting the game. The least expensive such service is Paramount Plus. You’ll need to be subscribed to Paramount Plus’ Essential or Premium plans to be able to watch the game (or an older “limited commercials” plan).

Paramount Plus has two main options: Essential for $5 per month ($50 per year if paying annually) and Premium for $10 per month ($100 per year if paying annually). Both offer live NFL games, though 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 either option works 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 other live TV streaming services carry local CBS stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and FuboTV. They all cost more than Paramount Plus, but they also carry more channels, including football-specific channels like Fox, ESPN, NFL Network and/or RedZone. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.

Quick tips for streaming Bills vs. Bears game using a VPN

Screenshot by Sarah Lord/CNET

How we test VPN streaming for Saturday NFL games

For every game we use a combination of ExpressVPN and either Paramount Plus (for CBS games) or Sling TV Blue (for Fox games). Using the maps on 506 Sports, we determine which servers are nearby and connect to one, then launch the streaming service and tune to the local CBS or Fox affiliate. If the channel comes through, it’s successful and we report the results above. We also screenshot the relevant program guide listing (see above) on either the local CBS affiliate’s website or Sling TV.