MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer didn't seem to disagree with the premise that his star running back should have gotten more than the eight carries he received in Sunday's 38-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But whether Zimmer saw things Adrian Peterson's way or not, he wasn't about to upset what seems like a tenuous balance on the Vikings' offense right now.

After gaining just 18 yards on Sunday, Peterson aired frustrations about the Vikings' game plan for the second time in three weeks, saying the Vikings got outcoached "in so many ways -- and outplayed, too," and adding he thought he should have gotten the ball more. Peterson's five carries in the first half were a season low, and several players talked about how the Vikings got away from their identity on offense.

Seattle's run defense wasn't the only thing that had Adrian Peterson frustrated on Sunday. Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY Sports

When asked Sunday if he wished the Vikings would have stuck with the run longer, Zimmer said, "Yeah, probably." And when asked about Peterson's claim that he should have run the ball more on Sunday, Zimmer said, "He probably should."

The coach added: "I don't really worry about other people's opinions. I just worry about what I think."

Peterson and Zimmer met after the running back received just 13 carries in a 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 22, according to a league source, and things seemed back to normal after Peterson gained 158 yards on 29 carries in a win over the Atlanta Falcons the following Sunday. But the running back's comments were more expansive on Sunday, after a game in which he never got much of a chance to get going.

The Seahawks held the ball for 35:10, quickly putting the Vikings in situations where they would have trouble staying with the run. But a team that has based so much of its offensive identity on the running game inherently has a deeper investment in that part of its scheme, and might need to stick with it a little longer.

Peterson's relationship with Zimmer has always been strong, based on their candor, which both men appreciate about each other. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner is the one calling the plays on offense, and Peterson's frustration seems aimed more in that direction. The Vikings' offensive success this year was always going to be based on their ability to merge Peterson into a unit that changed markedly while he was gone last year, and they've made adjustments to keep him comfortable. They've scrapped the shotgun handoffs they originally intended to give Peterson, returning to the traditional approach used for his first seven seasons in the league, and they've put Teddy Bridgewater under center more often, after keeping him in the shotgun on roughly two-thirds of his snaps last year.

But with the Vikings struggling to move the ball when they're not giving it to Peterson, they might require a level of patience with the running game that can seem counterintuitive in some situations. In a short week, with a rash of injuries on defense and a date with the Arizona Cardinals' fourth-ranked defense looming, they also need a level of decorum.

"Adrian wants the ball. I understand that,’’ guard Brandon Fusco said. “He’s a heck of a player. He’s probably the best player in this league. He wants the ball in his hands to change a game, and we want that, too. But Norv is a great [coordinator], and he’s been around this game for a long time.’’