Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph targeting Week 11 return vs. Bears
Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph hopes to play in the team’s next game, on Nov. 16 against the Chicago Bears, as he works his way back from hernia surgery.
Rudolph hasn't played since Sept. 21, when he sustained a core injury in the team’s 20-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. He had surgery four days later to re-attach abdominal muscles to his pelvic bone. He also missed the last eight games of the 2013 season after breaking his left foot.
"That's my goal," Rudolph said to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I've got to get myself in football shape. In my mind, I have two weeks to get ready so I'm going to do everything I can to get out there then."
Rudolph, who had been bothered by the injury since training camp, signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension in the offseason. He admitted that he wasn't fully healthy when the season began.
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"I learned my lesson," Rudolph said to the Pioneer Press. "I'm not going to go out there if I'm not 100 percent. It's not fair to the guys in this locker room and it's not fair to myself."
In three games this season, Rudolph has 10 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota is 4-5 after a 29-26 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. The team has a bye this week before playing the Bears in Chicago.
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