When asked if he considered himself a "pie or turkey guy," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer thought for a second before revealing the secret X Factor in his Thanksgiving Day game plan. .

"Probably a wine guy," he says. "Turkey and wine. Red wine."

Zimmer has spent 15 of his first 24 season games in the NFL with Thanksgiving. Thirteen came as an assistant to Dallas, while the last two were spent in Detroit as the Vikings' head coach.

On this Thanksgiving day, Zimmer will switch to his training program at the end of the season. All remaining Thursday practices will be moved around in the morning, giving players extra rest on Thursdays and Friday afternoons.

So, sometime on Thursday afternoon, Zimmer, his players, his coaches and the entire Vikings organization should switch to sweatpants, lower their heads and give thanks for …

Family, friends, good health, etc., etc.

And, uh, yes, this 29-29 draw against the Packers at Lambeau Field in the second week.

Expect. Did not the Vikings let Green Bay complain that the tie looked like a defeat? Was not rookie placekicker Daniel Carlson beaten the next morning for missing all three attempts, including two in overtime, including one for 35 yards at the end of the allotted time?

"It was like a loss, yes," Zimmer said Wednesday. "Because if we shoot the goal, we go home and we are happy."

What do you say, Packers coach Mike McCarthy?

McCarthy's choice was to determine whether the match was perceived as a victory because of Carlson's foul or a defeat because of Clay Matthews' highly dubious and controversial call that canceled a likely interception ending the match. in the last two minutes of regulation. :

"The second thing you said, with the officials," said McCarthy, whose Packers (4-5-1) face the Vikings at the US stadium on Sunday night. "But that's football."

In addition, a fan of Purple-Clad should remember that the last missed second of Carlson was the second of the day. Mason Crosby of Green Bay was 5-on-5 on placement attempts when he missed a 52-yard pass at the end of the regulation period.

Eight games later, while the raw emotions of Carlson's last defeat have long since dissipated, equality can be viewed more favorably.

Right?

"We are not happy not to win," said cornerback Xavier Rhodes.

But Xavier …

The Vikings (5-4-1) are entering the 12th and final day of the NFC playoff season because of the tie, which could be a loss before winning. Seattle (5-5) is the seventh seed, followed by Dallas (5-5) and Green Bay (4-5-1).

If Matthews' penalty kick had not been called and the Vikings had lost, they would have gone to 5-5 and lost three places to the ninth top of the list. Seattle would have been the sixth seed, followed by Dallas and Green Bay.

"I preach wins more here than draws," Zimmer said. "But, again, I thought [in September]"It may help us. But it could hurt us too. So I do not really know.

Matthews' brutal appeal on Kirk Cousins ​​took place with a time remaining at 1:45 in regulation. The Vikings were led 29-21 and took possession of the ball on a 25-yard line.

Cousins ​​threw in the net for Stacy Coley, but was intercepted by Jair Alexander, who returned the ball to 54 yards and 18 yards. After the flag, the Vikings raised 60 yards in eight games and 1:06.

Zimmer said Vikings' linebacker Eric Kendricks was reported for a similar success over Aaron Rodgers. Kendricks' penalty, however, canceled only a first failure in the second quarter.

After the Matthews sanction, the NFL's Competition Committee would not have been comfortable with the severity of insults being applied around the world. He met by teleconference after the third week and gave clarifications on the "techniques constituting a fault".

Difficult calls have slowed since this early season wave. Another proof that the Vikings should perhaps give thanks that their draw 29-29 was not a 29-21 loss and a 5-5 record, en route to a rematch in prime time with a quarter that counts 4-12 on the national night scene.