Chargers vs Saints live stream: How to watch NFL Monday Night Football online

Chargers vs Saints live stream
(Image credit: James Gilbert and Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Chargers vs Saints time, tv channel

The Chargers vs Saints game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. PT today (Monday, Oct. 12).
It's on ESPN, as Week 5's installment of Monday Night Football.

We're about to watch the Chargers vs Saints live stream, which has all eyes on the former, to see of they can hold onto their nerve in this tough matchup. That's been a problem for the Chargers, who have led competitors in the early part of two games this season, only to give up the lead later on, contributing to a lackluster 1-3 record.

After eeking out a 3-point win over the Bengals at the start of the season, it's been a downhill slide for the Chargers, who have lost by progressively larger spreads with each game, culminating in a 7-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Bookmakers are expecting the trend to continue on Monday, with the Saints favored to win by eight points on average.

But what if the Chargers can continue scoring to the end? One more touchdown per game could have turned the tables on all three of their losses. Last week, for instance, the Chargers controlled the first half of the game against Tom Brady and the formidable Buccaneers, hitting half time with a 24-14 lead. By the end of the third quarter, they were still up a skosh, at 31-28. And then: nothing, as the Bucs scored ten unanswered points and took the game.

With a 2-2 record this season, the Saints had virtually the reverse experience last week against the Detroit Lions. After giving up two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game, the Saints captured the lead in the second quarter and held onto it throughout to a 35-29 victory.

New Orleans pulled off this win despite being hit hard by injuries. Star wide receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Jared Cook were both benched for the last game and may miss the Chargers matchup as well.

The Saints are lucky, though, to still have running back Alvin Kamara, who leads the league with seven scrimmage touchdowns. Kamara can catch, too. With 30 receptions this season, he ranks fourth in the NFL and leads all running backs.

On the Chargers side, one of the joys has been watching the new guys play. In last week's game, rookie quarterback Justin Herbert threw touchdown passes to two other rookies—wide receiver Tyron Johnson and tight end Donald Parham Jr. These were not just the first scores of their professional careers; they were their very first catches.

After two decades, Saints QB Drew Brees is anything but a rookie. An erstwhile Charger (who left them for the Saints in 2006), Brees continues to play a solid game. He's thrown eight touchdown passes this season—vs five touchdowns for Herbert.

On the ground and in the air, the Saints have just been better at moving the ball than the Chargers this season.

How to watch Chargers vs Saints live streams with a VPN

Football fans, if for some reason you've had to leave your own "bubble" — or you've been hit by a dreaded local blackout — and you can't watch the Chargers vs Saints live stream, you don't have to miss the game. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well. Here are our top picks.

ExpressVPN

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

IPVanish

You should also check out IPVanish, another of the best VPNs, which has unlimited device connections, and it’s also great for working around Netflix’s geo restrictions, so you can watch stuff on international Netflix plans that isn’t in your neck of the globe. Its annual plan works out to a low $5.20 per month, too.

Chargers vs Saints live streams in the US

In the U.S., the Chargers vs Saints game is today (Monday, October 12) at 8:15 p.m. ET.

It's on ESPN, which is included on most cable TV packages and is available on two live TV services, fuboTV and Sling TV

Of the two, football fans will probably want fuboTV, as it has all five of the main channels you'll want: CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and the NFL Network. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

Sling may get you this game, but it doesn't include CBS (nor NFL RedZone). It's a case of "you get what you pay for" since Sling Orange & Blue (which you'd need to get ESPN, FOX and NBC and the NFL Network) costs $45 per month, while the Fubo TV Standard package gives you all of the above, for $59.99 per month.

Fubo.TVa 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV is one of the best streaming services that offers ESPN and it's our top pick for watching all of the 2020 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right broadcast networks and the two cable channels you'll need to get your football fix. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

Sling TV

Sling TV is an affordable live TV service with some of the channels that football fans want, providing a middle ground. The $45 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has ESPN for this game, as well as local Fox and NBC affiliates.

Chargers vs Saints live streams for free

If you just want to watch Chargers vs Saints 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 also 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. 

Chargers vs Saints live streams in the UK

You can watch Chargers vs Saints live across the pond, even if it is an an ungodly hour of 1:15 a.m. local BST. Yes, those in the U.K. will want Sky Sports for watching NFL games in the U.K. It will also feature more than 100 live games this season. It's on the Sky Sports NFL channel. 

If you're an existing Sky customer, you can get all of that with the Sky Sports Complete Pack, for £39 per month

If you're not looking to spend that much, you can get a less comprehensive Sky Sports pass from Now TV. Daily, weekly and monthly passes range from £9.99 to £33.99.

Chargers vs Saints 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 Chargers vs Saints live streams in Canada. 

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. Plus, Canadians get a 30-day free trial of DAZN here.

Sean Captain is a freelance technology and science writer, editor and photographer. At Tom's Guide, he has reviewed cameras, including most of Sony's Alpha A6000-series mirrorless cameras, as well as other photography-related content. He has also written for Fast Company, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.