Texans vs. Rams Livestream: How to Watch NFL Week 1 Online Today
Why You Can Trust CNET
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Looking for a way to watch Houston play Los Angeles? Here’s everything you need to stream Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET game on CBS.
When to watch the Texans vs. Rams
- Sunday, Sept. 7, at 4:25 p.m. PT (1:25 p.m. ET).
Where to watch
- The Texans-Rams game will air on CBS.
61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months)
See more details
Playoff teams from a year ago, the Texans and Rams each won their division with a 10-7 record before advancing as far as the division round of the playoffs.
Can they go further this year? The Texans are building around third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, while the Rams are hoping for one last ride from Matthew Stafford, who is entering his 17th NFL season.
The Texans and Rams kick off in Inglewood, California, on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT (4:25 p.m. ET) on CBS. Here’s how you can watch or stream it live, even if the game isn’t available on your local Fox channel.
The game will be shown on TV in the Houston and Los Angeles areas (according to 506 Sports) and on live TV streaming services, but there may be cases where you’re blocked because of an internet location glitch. There is an option that doesn’t require subscribing to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus or searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a virtual private network.
Here’s how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN.
Read more: How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable in 2025
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw 20 touchdowns last season, three fewer than his rookie year.
Kara Durrette/Getty ImagesHow to watch the Texans vs. Rams 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.
Price $13 per month, $75 for the first year or $98 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $100 per year)Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 a month on a two-year plan for the service’s Basic tier.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to watch Texans vs. Rams in the US
Sunday’s Texans vs. Rams game is on CBS. The good news for football fans is that CBS is available on four of the five major live TV streaming services, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area. You can also stream games broadcast on CBS with Paramount Plus.
Those looking for the Texans-Rams game can stream it and the rest of CBS’ Sunday afternoon football schedule each week of the season on Paramount Plus with its $8 per month Essentials tier. You can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.
Fubo’s main package costs $85 per month, but it has a new skinny bundle that includes most of the channels you need for the NFL. This new Fubo Sports plan costs $56 per month ($46 for the first month) and includes CBS along with ABC and Fox (but not NBC) in addition to ESPN and NFL Network. It also includes access to ESPN’s new streaming app. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
For $83 a month, you’ll get all the major football channels with YouTube TV, including CBS. You can also add RedZone for an extra $11 per month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
YouTube TV is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that Sunday Ticket doesn’t include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you’ll need Sunday Ticket plus a YouTube TV subscription (or just get Sunday Ticket and then use an antenna for local games).
To get the full experience of your local games, NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone, you’ll need the YouTube TV base plan ($83 per month), Sunday Ticket ($276 for returning subscribers or $480 for new subscribers for the season) and the Sports Plus add-on ($11 per month).
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
An over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option for CBS. The best part about antennas is that there are no streaming or monthly fees required, although you will need to make sure you have good reception.
Quick tips for streaming the Texans vs. Rams game using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any 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 site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Other Services & Software
