Vikings vs. Packers: 5 Things We Learned from Minnesota's 45-7 Loss

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Well, that didn't go as planned, did it?

The Vikings marched into Green Bay on the heels of a victory over the Carolina Panthers but were sent "packing" in convincing fashion as the Packers downed the Vikings for the divisional sweep, 45-7.

So, what did we learn from this game?

Let's take a look and find out.

Jared Aleen Will Become the New All-Time Sack Leader

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At 13.5 sacks within a losing season, most players would simply begin the process of shutting down and cashing in but not Jared Allen.

Through nine games, Allen now has 13.5 sacks, and he is well on his way to becoming the new all-time NFL sack leader if he keeps this pace.

Time To Go?

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I've given it enough time from a personal standpoint, but I really believe the Vikings have to look into whether or not Frazier isn't the answer.

Frazier hasn't shown any improvements in his own issues this year such as clock management, proper game calling or even the right amount of aggressiveness, and it's obviously a problem.

He began this year, mismanaging the team and just hasn't lived up to the requirements of being a true leader on a football team.

There will be quite a few candidates this offseason that could help turn things around for Minnesota, but whether or not they target one is left to be seen.

No Adrian=No Win

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I did an article a few days ago discussing what I felt the Vikings needed to do to beat this team, and to be frank, they did hardly any of what I said to do and that includes using Adrian Peterson.

I don't want to hear that the Vikings were down 14-0 because that was still very early in the game, and any good coach knows that one score puts you right back into things.

The Vikings sold out on the run, and the Packers knew.

Green Bay was able to bring additional pressure and keep their coverage tight against a rookie who was still learning the ropes, but had the Vikings continued to feature Peterson and try to earn back the points methodically, this game may have had a better chance to go the other way.

Hey Minnesota, about that vacant coaching job!

Christian Ponder Still Looks Promising

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After a stellar outing against Carolina, Christian Ponder came back down to earth a bit, and that is perfectly fine with me.

The call from the sideline allowed the opposing defense to play more aggressively as previously mentioned, but all things considered, Ponder still showed some nice poise and ball movement.

You were able to recognize a developing quarterback who is getting close to turning his first corner with some of the throws he made, but you were also able to see a few issues that still need to be hammered out.

One of those issues is ball control, as Ponder did sail a few throws and led his receivers for far too long, as in the case of a perfectly designed stretch play that Charles Woodson almost picked off in the first half—Ponder threw the ball about three seconds too late.

This Secondary Is Underachieving

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Missed tackles, blown coverage, too much reliance on the possibility of a flag.

These are all the traits of a secondary that is underachieving and looking for excuses instead of manning up and improving from within.

Maybe they're tired or beat up? I don't know. It's ,however, clear that the Vikings now need to go into research mode and see what they really have before the offseason, because it looks as if they will need to "cover" this area of the team with perhaps their first two picks in the 2012 NFL draft.

The Vikings have a lot of other needs such as WR, LB and OL, but each of these issues could be handled with a nice balance between the draft and free agency.

The Vikings have seven games left on their schedule which is more than enough time to get a grip on when they are headed, and what they need to do with who they got.

Hey, at least the future isn't as grim as the current, right?