Yet he's been able to keep playing without missing any significant time. When he got smacked from behind Sunday by the Chicago Bears' Adewale Ogunleye in the first half, Frerotte was down on the field for a while.

Childress was upset after the game and wasn't backing off today, saying he thought his veteran quarterback was practically on his way back to the huddle.

"I know the job of the referee is to protect the quarterback," Childress said. "I thought he was maybe looking where the ball went and didn't see it."

No penalty was called on Ogunleye, but the NFL could fine him for the late hit.

Asked whether Frerotte oversold the hit, Childress said: "He doesn't have a lot of flop in him. He's not a very good thespian, I don't think."

Carried away: Childress said cornerback Benny Sapp got "carried away" when he shoved a Bears receiver in the face and then was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter. That helped move the Bears to the Minnesota 27.

"He's tough as nails," Childress said. "He loves to play the game. He's emotional. He got a little bit too carried away there, which I'm not in favor of. You've got to be able to control it out there."

Peterson update: Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was banged up in the Bears game. He limped off the field with less than 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter. He appeared to be favoring his left leg. Peterson was able to return to the game on the team's next possession. But Peterson was banged up again at the bottom of a pile early in the fourth quarter. He was able to return after a couple of plays.

Was it general pain and soreness?

"General being a running back," Childress said. "Taking the hits you take in 28 carries and I think 45 plays or so. All those guys that touch it ... that was a physical, emotional Football game for both sides."

Briefly: The Vikings could know more about what will happen with the Williamses soon, perhaps Tuesday. That's according to a Fox Sports report, which stated that that the NFL could announce Tuesday its ruling on the appeals by Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, who reportedly tested positive for a banned diuretic and are facing four-game suspensions.

"I wouldn't know," Childress said. "I don't have any timetables that have been advertised to me."

Childress on Ryan Cook's performance filling in for starting right tackle Artis Hicks: "You know what, he did OK. He's only a week removed from playing in there, and I think he did just fine. Like I said, I saw a different approach in his demeanor towards practice last week. That was good to see, and it was good to see him get it on the field."

Childress added he won't open up the starting job for competition, meaning Cook will be back on the bench as soon as Hicks is healthy enough to play, perhaps as soon as this week. Hicks has an injured right elbow.