A battle of big cats comes your way on Thursday night, kicking off their hopeful roads to SoFi Stadium.
\nBoth the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals are hoping to be in the hunt for Super Bowl 61. The Bengals are coming off a disappointing season, largely thanks to the midseason absence of Joe Burrow. Still, the Bengals return all of their firepower and now have a defensive anchor in Dexter Lawrence, the prized offseason acquisition of Cincinnati.
\nThe Lions are coming off a disappointing season of their own, their first without superstar coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Head coach Dan Campbell did his best to try and keep Detroit's season on the path to the playoffs, but injuries largely told the story of a 9-8 finish.
\nNow, both teams start on the playoff paths anew with their first preseason matchup of the 2026 NFL schedule. Here's how to watch the battle of playoff hopefuls:
\nWatch NFL action all season long with Fubo (free trial)
\nWhat time is Bengals vs Lions?
\nKickoff for the Bengals vs. Lions is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) on Thursday night.
\nHow to watch Bengals vs Lions on Thursday
\nAll times Eastern
\n- Date: Aug. 13
- Time: 7 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Paycor Stadium
- Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Bengals vs Lions TV channel
\n- TV channel (national): Local only
- TV channel (local):
- Cincinnati: Fox 19 (Bengals TV network)
- Detroit: Fox 2
- Streaming: NFL+ | Fubo (in market)
The Bengals-Lions matchup will air only in local markets. Those looking to watch outside of those markets can see the game on NFL+, which carries all out of market preseason games.
\nFans in-market looking for a streaming option can find the game on Fubo, which comes with a free trial.
\nWatch NFL action all season long with Fubo (free trial)
\nNFL preseason Week 1 schedule
\nThursday, Aug. 13
\n- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. ET
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers, 7 p.m. ET
- New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8 p.m. ET
- Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals, 8 p.m. ET
- San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans, 9 p.m. ET
Friday, Aug. 14
\n- Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos, 7 p.m. ET
- New York Jets vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. ET
- Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 15
\n- Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET
- Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET
- New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET
- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams, 4 p.m. ET
- New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4 p.m. ET
- Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m. ET
- Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8 p.m. ET
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\nThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How, where to watch the Bengals vs. Lions preseason Week 1 game