You can tell the NFL knows it has a rating disaster on its hands when it schedules the Super Bowl Champs as one Thanksgiving opponent and dredge up one of the league's most historic rivalries for the other game. They knew there would be turkeys this Thanksgiving...
I think you're thinking about this all wrong. Thanksgiving is for eating. The games are an added excuse to lay on the couch and breath in the aroma drifting out of the kitchen. No one cares whether the games are good or not, it just means you're not expected to cut the grass and rake the yard.
(BTW, I learned that lesson when Clint Longley ruined my Thanksgiving meal back in 1974. Never again...) Grrrrrrr.....
a real shame. good football would have been a nice addition to an otherwise perfect day.