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An examination of four hot issues following the Minnesota Vikings' 23-7 loss to the New York Giants:  1. An encore for Freeman? Two weeks after signing with the Vikings, quarterback Josh Freeman's debut on Monday night had the feel of a calculus midterm after an all-night cram session. Freeman overthrew 16 of his 33 incompletions, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only Tony Romo -- against the Giants in Week 8 last year -- has overthrown more passes in a game in the past eight seasons. Freeman chalked up many of the issues to a lack of timing with his receivers, saying some of his passes were just "a hair off," but no amount of practice or game plan study will make up for an inability to hit receivers. The Vikings might as well see if Freeman can improve on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, but three of their next four games are against division leaders (Packers, Cowboys, Seahawks). Two of those are on the road. That's not a recipe for much more success.
2. Peterson MIA: For just the third time in his career, running back Adrian Peterson failed to rush for 30 yards after logging double-digit carries. But Peterson's workload wasn't exactly heavy; he carried just five times in the second half as Freeman uncorked 37 passes, including 31 in the fourth quarter. Like most teams do against Peterson, the Giants stacked the box with eight and nine defenders, daring Freeman to throw and cutting off Peterson's rushing lanes. But teams were doing that to the Vikings last year, and they still managed to open holes for Peterson. The running back said the team needs to be more physical, like it was last year, but it's been startling to watch how ineffective the Vikings have been running the ball, considering Peterson, fullback Jerome Felton and their entire offensive line returned this season intact. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's decision to use Peterson so little was perplexing, but how long do you try something that isn't working? 3. Pass protection issues: At the risk of piling on the offensive line, the Vikings weren't much better at protecting Freeman than they were at clearing holes for Peterson. Left tackle Matt Kalil -- playing with lower back tightness -- allowed seven pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. So did left guard Charlie Johnson, who was beaten on a number of blitzes up the middle. The Vikings were better at run blocking than pass protection last year, but they were by no means deficient at keeping quarterback Christian Ponder upright, either. Ponder was sacked 32 times in 2012, and the Vikings were tied for 11th in the league in sacks allowed per game. It's been startling to watch Kalil struggle after a Pro Bowl rookie season, though, and as a whole, the Vikings have given up 15 sacks in seven games. 4. Hot seats? Owner Zygi Wilf dismissed the idea of any immediate staff changes after the loss, saying, "I'm sticking with my team." But if the Vikings get throttled at home against the Packers next week, could coach Leslie Frazier meet the same fate his predecessor, Brad Childress, did after a lopsided loss to Green Bay in 2010? One thing that might help Frazier is the lack of an obvious successor; the Vikings had Frazier waiting in the wings in 2010, but of the Vikings' current assistants, only special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer might be an obvious interim candidate. And Priefer's unit marred a punt return touchdown with two turnovers Monday night. Moreover, a midseason coaching change would be the Vikings' second in four years, and would add another dose of uncertainty to a season that's already had plenty of it. The next few weeks could reveal how much more the Vikings' ownership can stomach.
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