EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Vikings quarterback Kyle Rudolph joined teammates in welcoming back Head Coach Mike Zimmer this week.

Bradford, Zimmer and the Vikings have turned the page and are focused on Sunday's game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Zimmer missed Minnesota's Dec. 1 game against Dallas because of an emergency eye surgery the night before.

The Vikings played hard in his absence but lost 17-15 to the Cowboys to fall to 6-6 with four games remaining.

"Obviously, last week was tough without him there," Bradford said. "I know how difficult it was for him to have to miss the game last week. The time he talked to us, obviously, he made it pretty clear that if he had it any other way, he would have been there, but to have him back in meetings, on the practice field, it's great to see him."

Zimmer said he had another procedure on Friday and was told during a follow-up visit this week that he is "good to go."

Here are two other topics addressed by Bradford and two more by Zimmer:

Bradford was asked about pushing the ball down the field more against Dallas than in Detroit on Thanksgiving but the offense yielding 15 points.

"I really don't think that was the issue last game," Bradford said. "I think if you just look at it, it was a lot of penalties, self-inflicted wounds, things we did to stop ourselves. We've just got to find a way to eliminate those plays.

"I felt like there were times where we moved the ball well," Bradford continued. "We just couldn't finish drives, and I think when we get past the 50-[yard line], when we get down in the red zone, we've got to find a way to come away with touchdowns and not field goals."

Rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell has played more snaps recently, logging a career-high 34 on offense in Detroit. He played 11 offensive snaps and 17 special teams plays against Dallas. Bradford was asked about Treadwell's progress.

"Obviously, 'Tread' is a guy who I think is very talented. I think he has come a long way since I've been here," Bradford said. "I think the tough part for a guy like 'Tread,' especially when I got here – because obviously I wasn't here during training camp – I didn't see how the reps got split or got shared during that time. But once the season gets here, there's not a lot of reps, especially for someone who might be behind a couple guys.

"The starters are usually the ones who take all of them," Bradford added. "So, it's just hard for him to get time, but I think in the past couple weeks, he has really shown some flashes. And he's a guy that we feel like if we can get him involved and get him some targets, I think it would be good. I think the biggest thing for him is just experience and just getting out there and playing."

Zimmer was asked about the potential the offense has to take a step forward and said he's more concerned about preventing future steps backward because of negative plays or penalties.

"Well the biggest thing we have to do is eliminate negative plays," Zimmer said. "We have two penalties on special teams that put the ball inside the 10-yard line. We have one guy goes in, he plays two plays and has a penalty. We have a penalty on third-and-1. We have a penalty on the two-point try to tie the game. We're not good enough to overcome ourselves. In order to start winning, we have to stop losing."

After being asked several questions regarding an update on his health, Zimmer said, "I really want to talk about Jacksonville."

He said missing his first NFL game in a run that began in 1994 was tough before pivoting to the Jaguars.

"You put all the work in and the reason why you do these things is for game day. So that's the difficult part of not being able to be with the team that you're trying to prepare.

"I think Jacksonville is really good on defense. They're fourth in the league in total defense. They have very good corners on the outside," Zimmer said. "They play very disciplined football. Offensively, they run the ball good. Chris Ivory is a strong, hard-running back. They've got some good receivers that work a lot on the outside if you give them single coverage. It's going to be important we play good on special teams and good in all the phases of the game."