Well, they should be desperate, if they want to continue making significant money on the Star Wars properties after the Skywalker Saga.
If Episode IX sucks, then that's a couple of generations that will lose seemingly a majority of interest. Those born in the 21st century didn't live for the Skywalker Saga, so they're not as invested. If they want to hit all bases, they need to get The Rise of Skywalker right.
While it will draw some comparisons to Endgame, since it completes a sci-fi saga, unfortunately The Last Jedi is almost quite literally the opposite movie of Infinity War. Both in storytelling and in hype. Infinity War made you beg for Endgame. The Last Jedi made you wanna never see Star Wars again.