Rewind a fortnight, and the 49ers had a perfect record and were most people's favorites for the Super Bowl. Come the end of the night, there's a realistic chance they could have slipped to a previously unthinkable 5-3. If there was a perfect time to play San Francisco it's right now, and the Bengals offense was beginning to click nicely before going on the bye.
Bengals inactives: CB DJ Ivey, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, C Trey Hill, OL Jackson Carman
49ers inactives: QB Brandon Allen, T Trent Williams, WR Deebo Samuel, LB Jalen Graham, RB Ty Davis-Price, DL Kalia Davis, TE Brayden Willis
Bengals vs 49ers is airing on CBS and Paramount Plus in the US, Sky Sports in the UK, and Kayo Sports in Australia. Don't worry if you're abroad while the game is on, because you can watch NFL 2023 live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
► Time: 4.25 pm ET / 1.25 pm PT / 8.25 pm UK / 7.25 am AEDT (Oct. 30)
US: CBS (via Fubo/Hulu with Live TV/YouTube TV) | Paramount Plus
AU: Kayo Sports
UK: Sky Sports
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
Where to start with the 49ers? They've lost two in a row, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams are out, and they're playing on a short week, following the upset loss to the Vikings on Monday. Add to that the fact that Christian McCaffrey is still working his way back to full fitness and you have a near-perfect perfect storm. At least Brock Purdy cleared concussion protocol.
Zac Taylor could hardly have manufactured a more favorable scenario for the Bengals, who'd strung together their first back-to-back victories of the season before their rest week.
After throwing just two in his previous four games, Joe Burrow notched five touchdowns during those wins, three of which went to Ja'Marr Chase, though the ugly second-half offensive showing against the Seahawks shows that they're not firing on all cylinders just yet. Their rushing game was particularly feeble, especially considering the talents of Joe Mixon, contributing a paltry 46 yards on 15 carries.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Bengals fans were doing everything necessary to ignore the Red and Gold on the horizon, but the Niners' injury woes have changed everything at Levi's Stadium.
If you're a keen NFL fan, you'll want to know how to watch Bengals vs 49ers live streams. We've got all the information on that below, including how you can tune in from anywhere.
How to watch Bengals vs 49ers in the US
In the US, the Bengals vs 49ers will be shown live on CBS, with kick-off set for 4.25 pm ET / 1.25 pm PT on Sunday afternoon.
If you already have the channel on cable, you're all set. If you’ve cut the cord on traditional pay-TV services, it's worth noting that NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN and ABC are the main TV channels you need to watch the 2023-24 NFL season unfold, and they're all available through the live TV streaming services Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. Sling TV has all of the channels except CBS.
US subscribers can also watch the NFL on Paramount Plus. The ad-free version of Paramount Plus allows for live streaming of local CBS stations, while the ad-supported plan limits this to sporting events like NFL games.
Remember, if you're currently outside the States but don't want to miss any of the Bengals vs 49ers action, get a VPN so you won't be geo-blocked from your regular service.
How to watch Bengals vs 49ers in the UK
You can watch Bengals vs 49ers with a Sky TV subscription in the UK.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8.25 pm UK on Sunday evening, with live coverage available via the Sky Sports NFL channel from 8 pm.
Sky Sports costs £56 per month — that's £29 for the base Sky Entertainment & Netflix plan and another £27 for the Sky Sports add-on. This is on a 31-day rolling contract too, and you can save £5 in total per month if you opt for an 18-month contract instead.
The NOW streaming service is a more flexible way to get Sky Sports, and will set you back either £11.99 for a day membership or £33.99 for a monthly membership.
The game is also available to watch via NFL Game Pass, which shows every single out-of-market game live and costs £14.99 per week or £113 per year.
How to watch 49ers vs Bengals in Australia
In Australia, Kayo Sports is showing the 49ers vs Bengals. The platform provides streaming access to Fox Sports, ESPN and loads of live sports coverage that would otherwise require a pricey cable setup.
Kayo Sports costs $25 per month for its cheapest channel, though paying $5 more for Basic or $10 extra for Premium will provide you with additional concurrent streams and higher-quality video.
The only catch is that kick-off is set for 7.45 am AEDT first thing on Monday morning.
If you're not in Australia right now, you might want to try a VPN to allow you to watch from abroad.
How to watch Bengals vs 49ers from anywhere with a VPN
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a major broadcaster is streaming the NFL.
However, in some places there is a possibility that there's no easy way of watching the game. Thankfully, you can solve this issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch events like the NFL even if it isn't directly broadcasting where you are. Our favourite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
What time is the Bengals vs 49ers kick-off?
Kick-off for the Bengals vs 49ers is at 4.25 pm ET / 1.25 pm PT / 8.25 pm UK / 7.25 am AEDT on Sunday, October 29 (Monday, October 30 for viewers in Australia).
