KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have waived 11 players and placed safety Sanders Commings on injured reserve as they pare down their roster before the first deadline.

The Chiefs have 78 players on their active roster. They need to have 75 by Tuesday afternoon.

Wide receiver Weston Dressler, a star in the CFL, was among the first round of cuts. Also waived were wide receivers Darryl Surgent, Jerrell Jackson and Deon Anthony; defensive backs Jerron McMillian, Brandon Jones and Vernon Kearney; defensive lineman Jairus Campbell; offensive lineman Otis Hudson and tight end Adam Schiltz.

The Chiefs play Green Bay on Thursday night in their final preseason game. The roster must then be trimmed to 53 players by Saturday afternoon.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had three decent opportunities to finally score a touchdown with their first-team offense on Saturday night. They came up empty on all of them.

Twice, Alex Smith was picked off by the Minnesota Vikings. The other time, coach Andy Reid opted to kick a 21-yard field goal rather than punch it into the end zone on fourth down.

So much for building some positive vibes heading into their preseason finale.

“You know, I think tonight was disappointing in the sense that this was the game week and we treated it as such, so there was a little more game-planning and preparation,” Smith said after a 30-12 loss. “You’d love to have shown a little better.”

That goes for games against Cincinnati and Carolina, too.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Vikings’ Matt Cassel threw for 152 yards and a touchdown in his return to Kansas City, and Minnesota rolled to a 30-12 victory over the Chiefs in a preseason game Saturday night.

Cassel, benched and then released by the Chiefs two years ago, found Cordarrelle Patterson for a 53-yard scoring strike on the Vikings’ first offensive series.

Teddy Bridgewater threw two TD passes to tight end Allen Reisner later in the game.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Chiefs counterpart Jamaal Charles dressed but did not play. Kansas City also was without wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Junior Hemingway.

Alex Smith was 14 of 24 for 124 yards with two red-zone interceptions. The Chiefs’ first-team offense still has not scored a touchdown in 16 preseason possessions.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — This past offseason, Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson could have made like a couple of college kids on spring break, sleeping ’til noon and then hitting the beach.

Instead, they rose with the sun and worked until they dropped.

You see, Allen and Stephenson joined a growing number of players taking part in offseason camps and academies, often organized and run by former NFL players. The lure is simple: The rare opportunity for guys with gumption to get ahead in a business that has become particular about the amount of time players can spend with their regular coaches at their team facilities.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The man who performs as the Kansas City Chiefs’ mascot has reached a legal settlement over severe injuries he suffered last November while practicing a zip line routine.

Lawyers for Dan Meers, better known as KC Wolf, announced the settlement Thursday but said the terms prevent disclosure of the dollar amount or the parties involved.

Attorney Tim Dollar said in a news release that Meers is still recovering and is talking with the Chiefs about a modified role as KC Wolf in the future.

Meers has performed as KC Wolf since the Chiefs adopted the mascot 24 years ago. He suffered what was described as a severe back injury Nov. 23 while practicing the zip line routine at Arrowhead Stadium.

Few details have been disclosed, but Dollar said earlier there may have been an error by a third-party company in securing the rigging.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have acquired safety Kelcie McCray from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for offensive guard Rishaw Johnson in a move that should bolster depth for both teams.

McCray entered the league with Miami as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State. He’s appeared in 15 games over the past two seasons with the Dolphins and Buccaneers.

The Chiefs are desperate for help at safety, particularly with Eric Berry still dealing with a nagging heel injury. Undrafted rookie Daniel Sorensen has been pressed into a starting role.

Johnson has appeared in three games over parts of two seasons for Kansas City. He had slid down the depth chart after the Chiefs acquired several other linemen in the draft and free agency.