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The NFL season gets underway in earnest on Sunday and this week CBS will be broadcasting a Week 1 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns live from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina at 1 p.m. ET.
There are a ton of storylines heading into this game, but probably the biggest on Cleveland’s side is the absence of starting QB Deshaun Watson. The former Houston QB is suspended for the first 11 games of the year for two dozen women coming forward and claiming sexual misconduct against them. Outside of how horrendous that is from a human perspective, from a football standpoint, it means Jacoby Brissett will be the starter for at least the first game of the season.
The Panthers don’t have to deal with the same messy off-the-field stuff, but there is an intriguing storyline at QB there too. Baker Mayfield, a former first-round draft pick of the Browns, is the starter for Carolina. He was traded away after the team signed Watson despite all the allegations surrounding him. Mayfield will get the chance for payback at his old team in the first game with his new one.
Mayfield and Carolina are two-point favorites in this contest and the point total is set at 41.5. The Panthers are going off on the moneyline at -140 while bettors can grab Clevland for +120.
Browns vs. Panthers
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Live stream link: CBS, Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket is available via live stream even if you don’t have a DirecTV account. The service offers a free one-week trial for both its regular and premium packages.
Additionally, if you are in the given broadcast zones for these teams, you can stream Sunday’s matchup with CBS. However, it will require a cable login with access to CBS. If you don’t have a cable log-in, you can get a trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game.