PHOENIX—Here is what you need to know on Monday, September 10, six days before the Washington Redskins play their 2018 home opener against the Colts.

Talking points

In a big win, a lot of players see their stock go up. And even in victory, some see a stock drop. Here are some examples of each with the disclaimer that it takes some doing to find players who have seen a decline. Nobody had anything close to a stock crash. It’s all relative.

Stock up—Who needs training camp? Adrian Peterson hinted that he was ready to roll with a solid preseason performance. Sunday, he showed that his preseason wasn’t a mirage. He ran for 96 yards on 26 clock-chewing carries. When things were getting clogged on the inside he made yards on the edge. For good measure he caught passes for 18 and 52 yards. For today, at least, he was the AP of his glory days.

Stock down—In the past, Preston Smith has given Sam Bradford fits. Facing a weak Cardinals offensive line he didn’t appear anywhere on the stat sheet. To be sure, the Cardinals ran only 51 plays, so his opportunities were limited. Still, he should not have been invisible.

Stock up—Going into the season, many wondered about the Redskins’ secondary in general and about Quinton Dunbar moving into a starting cornerback role in particular. He was up to the challenge against the Cardinals, making plays all over the field including an interception that set up a fourth-quarter field goal that made the last 12 minutes of the game academic. Dunbar is as confident as they come and it served him well on Sunday.

Stock down—Where was Josh Doctson? He was targeted three times and he had once reception for 11 yards. Alex Smith put another pass right in his bread basket, but he either dropped it (that was the call on the field) or caught it, fumbled it and recovered it himself. There was no replay request because the play would have gained nothing. There may be other games where Doctson makes key plays, but Sunday he wasn’t a factor. At all.

Stock up—Cardinals RB David Johnson, who was an All-Pro in 2016 before spending nearly all of last year on injured reserve, was not a factor in the matchup. He picked up only 37 yards on nine carries. Daron Payne was one of the reasons for Johnson’s less than stellar return. He wrecked the blocking in the middle of the line, giving Johnson no running room. The first-round pick was not the only reason why the Cardinals couldn’t move the ball on the ground, but Payne was a key. Let’s add in Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis here, too.

Trending on social

I tweeted this out at halftime:

Can you imagine what the score would be if Alex Smith and the starters had played more during the preseason? #Redskins — Rich Tandler (@TandlerNBCS) September 9, 2018

The agenda

Today: Open locker room 1 p.m. Jay Gruden news conference 2 p.m.

Upcoming: Home opener vs. Colts (Sept. 16) 6 days; Packers @ Redskins (Sept. 23) 13; Redskins @ Saints (October 8) 28

In case you missed it

Stay up to date on the Redskins. Rich Tandler is locked into the team 365 days a year. Like his Facebook page, Facebook.com/TandlerNBCS and follow him on Twitter @TandlerNBCS and on Instagram @RichTandler.