Rudolph can't wait to get back to Vikings

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph was in the locker room Monday after watching the team's 41-28 victory over the Falcons at home. He's expected to be sidelined for another five weeks after having sports hernia surgery last week.

"I think everybody saw that we have something special going on here [Sunday]," Rudolph said. "Me personally watching on TV, I want to get back as soon as possible because I want to be a part of this."

Rudolph said the training staff exhausted all of the options before opting for surgery. The injury, which Rudolph said was a tear in the abdominal muscle away from the pelvis, initially bothered him during the first week of training camp. While he only felt it on his right side, Rudolph said the sports hernia surgery fixed both sides to be safe.

"I'm glad I was able to get them fixed, move forward and be healthy for this push to the playoffs," Rudolph said.

The Vikings opted not to place him on injured reserve with designation to return, which would've sidelined him for eight weeks. The training staff still believes Rudolph will return in six weeks, though it's the second consecutive year he'll miss a chunk of the season because of an injury.

Rudolph, who signed a five-year extension worth $36.5 million in August, played just eight games last season and was placed on injured reserve because of a broken foot.

"There's nothing worse than being hurt," Rudolph said. "When you're not able to be out there with your teammates, and you're either watching from the side or watching on TV, it's hard. At the same time, I knew this was necessary because we tried everything we could to avoid it. I had to get it fixed."

The short week doesn't help Greenway, as the Vikings recovery time will be shorten to just three days until the next game.

"If Gerald needs to play again, he's going to keep getting better as he gets more comfortable," Greenway said. "You win and you move on to the next one. Obviously, this is a quick turnaround. Time, for me, is the best healer, so [playing on Sunday instead of Thursday] definitely would help me."

Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon made the most of his opportunity against the Falcons, rushing for 135 yards on 18 carries. He split reps with running back Matt Asiata, who brought a physical presence in the backfield and had three rushing touchdowns near the goal line. Without running back Adrian Peterson in the mix, coach Mike Zimmer was asked what he views of McKinnon's role in the offense.

"I think he's a change-of-pace back for us," Zimmer said. "We'll worry about next year [then]. I hope we can continue to grow his role, but I don't think he's going to be an every down player right now."

It's a new role for McKinnon, who served as a quarterback and running back at Georgia Southern in a niche offensive scheme. He's had to learn how to run between the tackles and pass block. As was evident in Week 4, McKinnon has improved in both areas since he arrived to Minnesota.

There's only one way to describe the Vikings defense on third down.

"Yeah, it's terrible," Zimmer said.

The Falcons were 10-for-15 on third downs, even converting on a third-and-20. The Vikings defense has allowed opponents to convert on 50 percent of their third-down opportunities (28 of 56), which ties the Raiders for the second-worst percentage in the NFL. Only the Packers, their upcoming opponent, have a worst third-down percentage (.526).

"I'm extremely disappointed in that," Zimmer said. "We will put a lot more time and effort into it than what we have. It's disappointing because that should be one of our strengths."

• Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn missed practice because he was ill. McKinnon (ankle) and cornerback Josh Robinson (hamstring) were both limited.