The whole point in the great parity shift, and the giving offenses the upper hand via the rules was to increase viewership.
Now you would not be suggesting that this has failed would you??
In part, yes....Personally during the season outside of the 16 games that our team participated in, I doubt that there were more than 5 games that I watched. (less than that if the metric was watched fully) The reasoning is exactly based on what you just wrote. I loved a good defensive battle on Sundays or Mondays where good defense was allowed. ( No Thursday games back then). I really don't think that I'm the single person who misses the former product. I can't say how many there are, but surely enough to contribute to the 10% drop this year, and some but less so in previous seasons.
My greater point is that folks have left the game for various reasons ( yours included) and just aren't coming back SB or not. It hurts more that the only marquee name at QB left is Brady. If he doesn't make it, then, the Jacksonville market hurts them too.