Broncos vs Chargers live stream: How to watch NFL week 17 online

Drew Lock of the Broncos and Justin Herbert of the Chargers
(Image credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images; Harry How/Getty Images)

The Broncos vs Chargers live stream is here, and it catches a Denver team that is in turmoil more so than any point this season. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is looking to help their postseason odds, using this NFL live stream to avenge a tough loss to their division rival earlier in the year. 

Broncos vs Chargers channel, start time

The Broncos vs Chargers live stream is today, Sunday (Jan. 2).
Time — 4:05 p.m. ET / 1:05 p.m. PT / 9:05 p.m. GMT
• U.S. — Watch on CBS via Fubo.TV or Paramount Plus
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free 

The Broncos (7-8) are expecting to be without their starting quarterback for the second straight week as Teddy Bridgewater is still in concussion protocol. Drew Lock started against the Raiders last week and was less than stellar throwing for just 153 yards on 15-of-22 passing as the Broncos lost 17-13.

Lock will likely be charged with keeping the Broncos slim playoff hopes alive as a loss would eliminate them from postseason contention. Lock and the Denver offense will have to improve greatly from last week's performance against the Raiders. The Broncos scored all 13 of their points in the second quarter on two long field goals by Brandon McManus and a Javonte Williams 1-yard touchdown run. 

The Chargers (8-7) may be just the team Denver needs to face right now. Last week, the Chargers fell to the lowly Texans, 41-29 and allowed 149 rushing yards to Rex Burkhead in the process. Run defense is something that L.A. has struggled with all season as they allow 140.3 yards on the ground-per-game, fourth most in the NFL. They now face a Denver backfield with Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordan III who combined for just 8 total rushing yards last week.

As an extra incentive, Los Angeles can not only help their playoff odds, they can end any hope of the Broncos reaching the post season with a win. The Chargers can also get a bad taste out of their mouth from a rough loss to the Broncos in week 12. Denver scored 14-fourth quarter points including a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown by Patrick Surtain II to beat the Chargers 28-13.

In all, the Chargers have had a bit of an odd year. After winning four of their first five games, L.A. went on the seesaw for a while. Then they were able put two wins together for the first time in over a month when they beat the Bengals and Giants in successive weeks. Now they seem to be back on the "struggle bus" as they are coming off two straight losses.

The Chargers are strong 7.5-point favorites against the Broncos. The over/under is 45.5.

Inactives are:

Broncos: QB Teddy Bridgewater, CB Ronald Darby, WR Rico Gafford, DT Justin Hamilton, OT Drew Himmelman, LB Kenny Young

Chargers: CB Essang Bassey, CB Davontae Harris, OG Senio Kelemete, QB Easton Stick, LB Drue Tranquill


How to watch Broncos vs Chargers live stream from anywhere

ExpressVPN

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NFL streaming tip:

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Broncos vs Chargers live streams in the US

In the U.S., the Broncos vs Chargers live stream is going to be broadcast on CBS, which is available with most cable packages and on one of our favorite streaming services: fuboTV

The game starts at 4:05 p.m. ET / 1:05 p.m. PT Sunday (Jan. 2)

You can get your local CBS network's NFL games via Paramount Plus, if you want.

The NFL game broadcast rights have stayed similar season over season. CBS gets AFC games on Sunday afternoons, FOX has the NFC games, NBC has Sunday Night Football and some Thursday night football, while ESPN has Monday Night Football. Amazon Prime Video has some Thursday Night Football games, while the NFL Network will continue to offer a bunch of games throughout the year. 

So, that makes it really easy to recommend where cord-cutters should turn to watch the NFL season: Fubo TV. Built for all things sports, Fubo has all three of those local broadcasters, plus ESPN and NFL Network. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

Sling TV doesn't have CBS (not without AirTV at least), so while that's one of our favorite services, it's not ideal for football fans.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

<a href="https://geni.us/YkQAuWd" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with FOX, and the top pick for watching all of the 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got <a href="https://geni.us/YkQAuWd" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

Paramount Plus

<a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="paramountplus.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Paramount Plus combines what used to be CBS All Access with even more content from the deep ViacomCBS vault. Get access to Survivor and Big Brother episodes, as well as originals like Star Trek: Picard and The Good Fight. And more great stuff is on the way, including Frasier and Criminal Minds revivals.

NFL Sunday Ticket: This game is included in NFL Sunday Ticket, which is available even if you don't have DirecTV. For more details check out our guide on How to get NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV.

Broncos vs Chargers live streams for free

If you just want to watch on your phone, the Yahoo Sports app for iOS and Android gives away every NFL game that's broadcast in your local TV market to your smartphone or tablet for free

Yes, that includes Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. You can also sign into your NFL Game Pass subscription and stream it from the Yahoo app.

With one of our best TV antenna picks you can watch live if — and only if — your local CBS affiliate is showing Broncos vs Chargers.

Broncos vs Chargers live streams in the UK

American football fans across the pond cannot watch Broncos vs Chargers on Sky Sports, the typical home to more than 100 live games per NFL season. 

The Broncos vs Chargers live stream starts at 9:05 p.m. GMT Sunday evening.

Americans abroad could just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Broncos vs Chargers live streams in Canada

Get in, folks, we're going to Da Zone. Or to be more specific, Canadian football fans will need DAZN to watch Broncos vs Chargers live streams in Canada. 

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. 

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Marc Farzetta

Marc is a contributing sportswriter at Tom’s Guide covering the NFL, NBA and MLB as well as various other leagues. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied Broadcasting and Journalism. Marc’s previous stops include the Trenton Times and NBC Sports Philadelphia. He also worked on the production crew of NBC Sunday Night Football for 11 seasons. When not working, Marc is probably sipping his next espresso to get him ready for more work.