MINNEAPOLIS —Kyle Rudolph etched his name in the Vikings record book more than once in Sunday's season finale.
So many times that it was sometimes tough to keep track of Rudolph's multiple milestones in 38-10 win over Chicago.
Rudolph hauled in 11 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown as he turned in a career-best performance to help the Vikings get to 8-8.
"Any time you're up there with some of the great tight ends that have played for this franchise … guys have set the standard for my position," Rudolph said. "Just being mentioned in the same category as those guys is an honor."
Rudolph's first record of the day came when he caught a 22-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. The reception gave him 29 career touchdown catches and moved him past the 28 by former Vikings tight end Steve Jordan.
Rudolph caught the pass from Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford at the 6-yard line and plowed through a handful of defenders for the score.
"Sam was able to find me over the middle, and I knew I was close," Rudolph said. "It's been tough this second half of the year getting into the end zone. I knew I was close and wanted to get it done then."
Rudolph then passed former Vikings tight end Joe Senser in the fourth quarter when he moved the chains with a 12-yard grab on third-and-5.
The grab was Rudolph's eighth of the game and 80th of the season. Senser, who attended the game and participated in an on-field interview with Greg Coleman, had 79 catches in 1981.
"I knew it was something within reach," Rudolph said of his second milestone. "We kind of got things going early on offense … me catching the ball just happened to be a part of that. It's what we had to do to win the game."
The 11 receptions by the former first-round pick also tied a single-game record for a tight end, which Senser set in 1981.
Bradford said he wasn't surprised one bit by Rudolph's big-time game, or his monster season.
"Kyle is just a really good football player," Bradford said. "He's one of those guys that when I first got here, it seemed like we clicked immediately.
"He's just really easy to read as far as his body language and routes," he added. "He's a big target, and he's got a really big catch radius. That's what you're looking for as a quarterback because you know that if you put it in his area, he's usually going to come down with it."
Rudolph finished the season with career highs in catches (83) and yards (840) while adding seven touchdowns.
After missing a combined 16 games in 2013-14, Rudolph has played in every game for the past two seasons.
Rudolph said he's been fortunate to stay healthy, but added he now sees his strong season as a benchmark going forward.
"I spoke before the season about expectations and my first five years and that I was nowhere near my expectations in terms of production," Rudolph said. "A lot of things go into why this year was more productive than others, but this is a standard I'm setting.
"I'm going to have to work all offseason to top (this) next year," he added.
