QPR made sure their opponents didn't complete the whitewash - but Forest came pretty close to all six points this season as well as an FA Cup victory.
Robert Tesche and Ben Osborn saw first-half efforts rebound off the frame as Rangers frustrated the men in red, while James Perch was also denied by the combination of Dorus De Vries and bar in a game neither side really deserved to win.
After a cagey opening 15 minutes, it was QPR who finally had the first sighter on goal, when Sebastian Polter laid in Junior Hoilett, whose low effort was tipped past a post by De Vries.
Freedman's side responded five minutes later when Michael Mancienne's bullet header from Tesche's corner was acrobatically saved by Alex Smithies in the Hoops goal.
Forest kept up the pressure and Osborn cracked a shot against Smithies' right-hand post, before O'Grady's strike was defected behind for a corner.
The woodwork again saved QPR two minutes later as Tesche's 30-yard thunderbolt crashed against the top of the bar.
Polter headed Hoilett's cross narrowly wide, before the latter tested De Vries five minutes shy of the break, with the Dutchman punching the ball to safety.
De Vries was called upon again to fist away a Matt Phillips effort, although Forest broke away and Oliveira drew a low save out of Smithies.
It was a busy few minutes for De Vries and in first-half injury time, he brilliantly saved former Red Perch's free-kick from the edge of the box, diving to his left and flicking the ball up on to the bar and away.
Rangers brought on recent big-money signing Conor Washington, with Hoilett coming off, but chances for both sides tailed off as one nullified the other, although the former Peterborough man's pace gave the Forest defence a few anxious moments.
But although Mancienne did well to block Washington's effort, the game petered out to a goalless draw - although from an Rs point of view a whole heap better than the first two encounters.
