<P> Thursday Night Football games on NFL Network are among the lowest - rated nationally televised NFL broadcasts . Critics have argued that the games televised on Thursday Night Football have been of lower quality than other prime time games, as they often featured match - ups between lesser or poor - performing teams, and that the shortened rest between games triggered by Thursday games also has an effect on their overall quality . In an analysis by Sports on Earth writer Aaron Roberts, it was determined that most Thursday games were of average or above - average quality in comparison to normal, non-prime time games, but that this was "by design" due to the leverage of other NFL broadcasters on how games are scheduled throughout the season (which traditionally prioritizes "major" games for either late - afternoon or Sunday and Monday nights). </P> <P> The move of selected games to CBS brought improved ratings: the inaugural game was the highest - rated program of the night, with an audience share of 13.7 and an average of 20.7 million viewers, representing a 108% increase in ratings over the first NFL Network game in 2013 . The game, whose ratings were boosted by coverage of the Ray Rice scandal, also brought CBS its highest prime time ratings on a Thursday night since May 2006 . While lower, at 9.6 million viewers, the Week 3 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was also the highest - rated program of the night . The first four games of the package, however, featured blowout victories . In total, average viewership of the games increased from around 7 million to around 11.8 million in the 2014 season . </P> <P> Controversy over ratings and the quality of play in Thursday night contests escalated when on November 28, 2016, a report circulated that the league was considering ending the franchise . The NFL, however, denied this rumor . The subsequent game on December 1, 2016 between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings was the highest rated Thursday Night Football of the season . </P> <P> During the 2016 season, current and former players including Richard Sherman, J.J. Watt, and Charles Woodson expressed their dislikes for Thursday Night Football, with Richard Sherman calling it a "poopfest". </P>

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