The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers face off on Sunday, Oct. 23. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Even though Sunday’s matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Chargers features plenty of offensive weapons, Pete Carroll and Brandon Staley want to see if their defenses can put two solid games together.

Both coaches came up through the defensive ranks, but their units have struggled.

Seattle (3-3) has won two of its last three but has allowed an average of 27.2 points per game this season, tied for second most in the league, and 30th in yards allowed at 410.8 per game. After splitting shootouts against the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints, the Seahawks did not allow an offensive touchdown in last Sunday’s 19-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Players said the most significant difference between the first five games and last week was that the linemen had more freedom to be aggressive at the snap instead of being tasked to reach and react to plays. That resulted in six sacks and the Cardinals averaging only 2.5 yards per rushing play.

Los Angeles (4-2) has a three-game winning streak but went to overtime on Monday night against Denver and survived at Cleveland after a missed field goal. The defense is 26th in points allowed per game (25.3) and 18th in net yards given up per game (349.8) after allowing big plays.

The Chargers have surrendered 15 plays of 30 yards or more, including five touchdowns. They did limit Denver to 72 total yards after halftime, including minus-9 passing.

When is Seahawks-Chargers?

The Chargers play the Seahawks at 3:25 p.m. (4:25 p.m. ET) Sunday, Oct 23.

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 Seahawks and Chargers will be televised on Fox.

Preview

SMITH VS. HERBERT: Seattle QB Geno Smith leads the league in completion percentage (73.4%), while Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert has an NFL-high 170 completions.

Staley is familiar with Seattle’s offensive system since he was on the same staff with Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. Staley is no stranger to the wide receiver duo of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett after facing them three times that season.

“I don’t think that it is a surprise that they are scoring the ball because they have the pieces to score,” Staley said. “I think Geno is doing an outstanding job distributing, taking care of the football and leading that group. A very, very tough cover and a very impressive group.”

Herbert is looking to avoid going three straight games without passing for 300 yards for the first time in his pro career.

The Chargers have been without leading receiver Keenan Allen for the past five games due to a hamstring injury. Fellow receiver Joshua Palmer will likely miss Sunday’s game after being placed in concussion protocol. Running back Austin Ekeler leads the team with 41 receptions and has six touchdowns in the past three games.

“He’s a big guy that can move around, get outside of the pocket, and strike you dead,” Carroll said about Herbert. “The fact that he got banged up earlier in the year and just kept fighting through it, you have to give him a lot of credit on all levels.”

TARIQ THE FREAK

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Special teams might be under the spotlight more with Chargers kicker Dustin Hopkins out due to a hamstring strain. Taylor Bertolet will be called up from the practice squad, but had three field goals in the Oct. 9 win at Cleveland after Hopkins was inactive with a strained quadriceps.

WALK(ER) THIS WAY: Another Seattle rookie made his first start last week, and running back Kenneth Walker III looked very much the part of a workhorse starter.

Walker carried 21 times for 97 yards and scored Seattle’s only touchdown. It was his second straight week with a rushing TD after showing off his big-play ability the previous week on a 69-yard scoring run against New Orleans.

With Rashaad Penny out for the season with a fractured lower leg, the performance against the Cardinals was important for Walker and the Seahawks to know he can get 20-plus carries in a game, handle the workload and be productive.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.