Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph is expected to miss around six weeks due to a sports hernia injury sustained in Sunday's loss to the Saints, reports the NFL Network.

Rudolph will have a surgical procedure to take care of the injury. After the game Rudolph was scheduled to have an MRI on the afflicted area.

This is a big blow for the Vikings offense, which also lost Matt Cassel for an extended time with broken bones in his foot. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will fill in while Cassel is out and could have used Rudolph as a safety net. He won't have that now.

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