The San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers face off on Sunday, Oct. 9. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

No NFL quarterback has struggled quite as much this season as Carolina’s Baker Mayfield.

The bumpy road isn’t expected to get any smoother on Sunday for the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick.

Mayfield, who is last in the NFL in ESPN’s total quarterback rating, leads the league’s worst offense against its top-ranked defense when the Panthers (1-3) host the San Francisco 49ers (2-2).

Mayfield joined the Panthers in July after a trade with the Cleveland Browns. He has struggled mightily, completing a league-low 54.7% of his passes while being limited to 186.7 yards passing per game with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

San Francisco has been dominant defensively with Nick Bosa’s NFL-best six sacks leading a fearsome pass rush and playmaking safety Talanoa Hufanga anchoring the back end. The Niners have given up only 37 points to opposing offenses — tied for the second fewest through four games since 2010 — and have allowed 3.81 yards per play, the lowest mark through four games since 2008.

When is 49ers-Panthers?

The Panthers play the 49ers at noon (1 p.m. ET) Sunday, Oct 9.

Live stream options

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

Will it be televised?

The Saints and Seahawks will be televised on Fox.

Preview

JIMMY G VS. BAKER: When the Panthers were considering making a move at quarterback this past offseason, they pursued trades for Deshaun Watson, Jimmy Garoppolo and Mayfield.

Watson wound up in Cleveland and talks with the 49ers about Garoppolo never really got off the ground because of the money involved in taking him on.

Now they’ll face Garoppolo on Sunday.

“Jimmy, he’s won a lot of games there and got them to the NFC championship last year,” Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. “He just wins games.”

TIPPED BALLS: The 6-foot-1 Mayfield continues to struggle with batted balls at the line of scrimmage. He’s had an NFL-high 11 this season, including five last week by Arizona — one of which was intercepted and led to a Cardinals touchdown.

McAdoo said the Panthers have worked extensively on the problem this week in practice

“It’s a copycat league,” McAdoo said. “So what you are seeing is teams are rushing and then once they feel that they are blocked or stymied (on the pass rush), they will put their hands up and jump.”

KITTLE ON THE MEND: Niners tight end George Kittle had a monster three-game stretch in late in the 2021 season, but in the eight games since he’s been mediocre at best with just 21 catches for 220 yards.

“The more Kittle is out there and healthy, the more he practices, the more he can get back in the routine,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I think that stuff will take care of itself. The plays that went to him, I thought he did a good job on in the game. Kittle affects the game in so many ways, the run and the pass.”

Shanahan said the 49ers want to get the ball to Kittle more, but added, “it’s something we’re not that concerned about. We think it’ll take care of itself as we get going.”

TAKING IT ON THE CHINN: The Panthers will be without safety Jeremy Chinn, who had back-to-back 100-tackle seasons to start his career but was lost in Week 4 to a hamstring injury. The Panthers will turn to Myles Hartsfield and Sean Chandler to fill Chinn’s spot while he’s on short-term injured reserve.

The versatile and athletic Chinn almost surely would have been matched up at times against dangerous 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

TRAVELING SHOW: The 49ers will stay on the road following the game as they begin their now-annual 10-day stay back East. The Niners will head to West Virginia to practice there before playing at Atlanta in Week 6. San Francisco has done this kind of trip the previous three seasons, including twice in 2019. The Niners are 7-1 in those games.

“There is something when you go on the road, just the distractions are a little less there,” Shanahan said. “The people aren’t there, even in your own house, you’re just kind of locked into a room and I think it just helps guys focus a little bit more. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but the numbers have definitely been a lot better.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.