Just to play a game. You have to be smart about it, because while a win makes a splash, a loss pretty much scuttles your season. If you were already planning to give you guys a couple days off, then there's no way you're ready to go on a half a week's preparation.
It's not hard to explain that you've already played 9 games this season while half of the country was trying to make up their minds about whether playing football or virtue signaling was more important; that you were planning all along to give you guys Thanksgiving off.