The Vikings are winding down for the bye but tight end Kyle Rudolph is ramping up his rehabilitation from hernia surgery and targeting the team’s next game, Nov. 16 at Chicago, for his return.

“That’s my goal,” Rudolph said after Sunday’s 29-26 victory over Washington. “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.”

Regaining the former Pro Bowler can only help Minnesota’s offense and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Surgeons on Sept. 25 re-attached Rudolph’s abdominal muscles to his pelvic bone after he aggravated a nagging core injury in a Week 3 loss at New Orleans.

The injury started bothering him the first week of training camp in early August, just after he signed a five-year contract extension that could be worth up to $40 million. Rudolph and the training staff tried managing the initial tear to avoid surgery.

“I learned my lesson,” Rudolph said. “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.”

A broken foot sidelined Rudolph for the final eight games of 2013. He shed 16 pounds during the off-season to increase his speed and route running and said his priority was remaining healthy.

In three games he has seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, which he scored Week 1 at St. Louis.

Follow Brian Murphy at twitter.com/murphPPress.