EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Mike Zimmer appreciates the value of a bye week as much as the next guy, but the first-year NFL head coach did express one specific concern as he turned his players loose early last week.

“I guess the one thing that I’ve noticed a little bit about this team is sometimes when they have a little bit of time off they seem to forget quicker than I would like for them to,” Zimmer said. “We’ll have to see next week.”

Next week has arrived with the Vikings returning to Winter Park to begin preparations for a Bears team that was pummeled 55-14 by a Packers team that pummeled the Vikings 42-14 in Week 5. Like the Bears, the Vikings also fell behind 42-0 before scoring against the Packers.

The Vikings come out of the bye with a 4-5 record and their first two-game winning streak since the end of the 2012 season. They’ve yet to beat a team with a winning record, but back-to-back come-from-behind wins over Tampa Bay and Washington had Zimmer feeling good about the direction the team is heading after an offseason youth movement following a 5-10-1 season that cost then-coach Leslie Frazier his job.

“I thought [the Washington game] was a great team win,” Zimmer said. “It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, we did a lot of things that we had to overcome, but we came back three times from deficits. I think we showed some resiliency there. I think our team grew up a little bit.

“I do believe that we are building what I envisioned this football team to look like. We’ve still got a long way to go, but there is a mindset of being able to overcome any kind of obstacle. We still have got a lot of things to clean up, but I think for the overall confidence of the football team, the overall morale of the program of where things are going, I felt like that was a good victory for us.”

The Vikings are one of seven teams without a division win this season. They’re 0-2 and weren’t competitive in either loss to the Packers and Lions. But they’ll get plenty of opportunities to improve on that. Four of their final seven games, including the next two, are against NFC North teams.

“It will be interesting to see where we were when we played those division games early and how much our team has progressed as we head into this last stretch of the season,” General Manager Rick Spielman said. “I know the potential and how much more growth this team has just because of the youth on this football team. You’re seeing those steps taken week in and week out. We’re improving, but we’re not anywhere near where we’re potentially going to be down the road.”

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has had several rookie moments, but is 3-3 as a starter and has led the team from behind in the fourth quarter in each victory. The defense has had some lapses, but has improved dramatically in all phases, going from last in the league to 13th in points allowed.

The team also is healthy and getting healthier with the likely return this week of tight end Kyle Rudolph, a key playmaker who has missed the past six weeks because of a sports hernia surgery.

And there also is the possible return of running back Adrian Peterson at some point over the final seven games. Peterson, the face of the franchise, has been on the commissioner’s exempt list for the past eight games as he dealt with the court case involving the injuries he caused while disciplining his 4-year-old son with a switch. Last week, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor that replaced the felony charge he was facing.

The league is reviewing the case under its personal conduct policy and has not given the Vikings a timetable for when it will rule on Peterson’s status or possible suspension.

Zimmer laughed when asked if Peterson’s potential return would be a distraction for the Vikings. This, after all, is a man who has seen a little bit of everything, including nose tackle Linval Joseph being shot in the calf, troubled receiver Jerome Simpson being released while on suspension, three offensive starters suffering significant injuries in New Orleans and three starting quarterbacks being used by Week 5.

“More than the distractions we’ve had this season?” he asked. “This team has been pretty resilient in everything we’ve done to this point.”

NOTES, QUOTES

–In case there was any confusion, the Vikings made a point to remind everyone that the Adrian Peterson’s immediate future rests in the league’s hands, not the Vikings.

In a release issued Monday morning, the Vikings said, “In regards to Adrian Peterson’s status with the Minnesota Vikings, at this time his potential reinstatement is under NFL guidelines. As an organization, we respect and understand the league’s process. In the interim, our focus is on the team and preparing for this weekend’s game against the Bears.”

Peterson pleaded no contest last week to a misdemeanor charge that replaced the felony charge he faced for injuring his 4-year-old son while using a switch to discipline him. The league has since said it will review the case under the personal conduct policy. The players’ union has asked the league to reinstate Peterson immediately.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that the NFL has not given the Vikings a timetable for a decision.

“When those decisions are made [by the NFL], we can make decisions,” he said. “Until then, really our hands are tied. There’s nothing we can do about it other than what I’ve said all along. We love the kid. He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. And we support him. We want him to get through this for him, for him. Then we’ll worry about all the other things we have to deal with at the time.”

–Tight end Kyle Rudolph practiced on Monday and appears on track to play on Sunday in Chicago.

“He ran routes and did more than individual,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “He did stuff. We’re hopeful, but we’ll see as the week goes on.”

Rudolph has missed the past six games as he recovered from a sport hernia surgery. He looked sleeker and faster before the injury and should benefit from playing a key position in offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s offense.

“It’s always great to see Rudy back out there,” receiver Greg Jennings said. “Big, friendly giant; smiling guy, another face that you can lean to and smile and have fun with. He’s definitely made a lot of plays for this team and for us, and we’re excited to have him back.”

REPORT CARD AT THE BYE

–PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus — Rookie Teddy Bridgewater shows promise as a franchise quarterback, but he’s still experiencing a lot of rookie moments as he feels his way through the season after being forced to start sooner than expected after Matt Cassel broke his foot in Week 3. Bridgewater is 3-3 with more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (three). But he also has brought the team from behind in the fourth quarter in each of his three victories. So there’s a level of poise and resolve that is impressive. But the passing game still ranks 29th and the team’s best receiver, Cordarrelle Patterson, remains a raw route runner whose impact is minimal. The offensive line also is underperforming and is a key reason the team ranks 29th in sacks allowed per pass play.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B — Considering they haven’t had Adrian Peterson for eight of their nine games, one could argue that the rushing offense deserves an A-plus for ranking 11th in yards per game (119.3) and seventh in yards per rush (4.5). Rookie third-round draft pick Jerick McKinnon has grown into the starter’s role nicely with a 5.0-yard average per carry. He has strong vision, cutback ability, speed and strength, but, unlike Peterson, he doesn’t command the eight- and nine-man fronts that would open things up for the passing game.

–PASS DEFENSE: B-minus — Compared to last year’s 31st-ranked unit, this year’s No. 4-ranked pass defense is, well, no comparison. The Vikings have 30 sacks and rank No. 1 in sacks per pass play. Right end Everson Griffen leads the way with a career-high nine sacks to go with his NFC Defensive Player of the Month award for October. The defensive tackles, meanwhile, have 11.5 sacks, which is already 4.5 more than last year’s defensive tackles had all season. Safety Harrison Smith has three interceptions, while cornerbacks Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson are second with two apiece. However, keeping this unit from earning an A is some similar late-game meltdowns that plagued last year’s defense. The last-second loss at Buffalo came when the pass defense gave up conversions on fourth-and-20, third-and-12 and second-and-20.

–RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus — The Vikings rank 16th in run defense (112.8) and 19th in yards allowed per rush (4.2). So they’re milling about in the middle of the pack. But this is still an area that needs to get much better. The blowout loss to the Patriots came because of turnovers offensively and an inability to stop New England’s running game. Tom Brady never had to do any heavy lifting because the Vikings couldn’t get the Patriots out of their running mode. A week later in New Orleans, the Saints jumped on the Vikings 14-0 in the first 10 minutes because their running game was gashing the Vikings, which then allowed Drew Brees to play pitch and catch.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C — The Vikings have ranked consistently high in this area in recent years. But this year, the return games have been average and the punting has been terrible. Punter Jeff Locke ranks 25th in gross punting (44.3) and 25th in net punting (38.6). Reigning All-Pro kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson has had a quiet year, ranking 12th with a 24.5 average. Punt returner Marcus Sherels, who set the team record with a 15.2-yard average a year ago, ranks 14th with an 8.5 average. Kicker Blair Walsh has been the highlight, making 16 of 19 field goal attempts, including 3 of 4 from 50 yards and beyond.

–COACHING: B-minus — The Vikings were heading into Week 2 with virtually everything having gone right since Mike Zimmer was hired. They were healthy and had just opened the season with a 34-6 win at St. Louis. But five days later, they lost the player to whom their entire franchise, philosophy and salary cap was built upon. Adrian Peterson became entangled in a legal quagmire involving the whipping of his 4-year-old son and hasn’t played a down since. Yet the Vikings persevered through a difficult early and injuries to quarterback Matt Cassel, right guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Kyle Rudolph. They come out of the bye at 4-5 and sporting their first two-game winning streak since the end of the 2012 season. Zimmer has a lot to do with holding things together. Defensively, his philosophy and creative schemes and blitz packages have turned what was a pathetic pass defense into a gritty, competitive outfit. Offensively, coordinator Norv Turner has been an asset on a team that had to start three quarterbacks by Week 5. He is getting the most out of a running game that’s missing Peterson and an underachieving offensive line.