While the primary focus of Sunday night’s highly anticipated matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers was obviously the return of Micah Parsons to AT&T Stadium, another storyline emerged very early on, as two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs was noticeably absent from Brian Schottenheimer’s starting lineup, a decision the first-year head coach explained in the aftermath of the 40-40 tie.

“We’re talented. He’s been banged up a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “I’ve been a little tough on Trevon, just in terms of the consistency and things like that. But, man, I thought he played really well. I’m proud of him. It’s a similar type thing with other guys. I mean, it wasn’t just us picking on Trevon. Trevon is a hell of a player. Trevon is a huge part of what we’re trying to do.”

Naturally, Jerry Jones had to chime in on the matter. And when asked if Diggs failed to get the start because of the nagging injuries or if Schottenheimer was shaking things up by moving on to other players, this was his response:

“There’s no moving on to other guys. So, it had to be reps regarding health or that type thing. … I’m pleased with how Diggs played.”

And Schottenheimer and Jones certainly should be pleased with how their $97 million investment performed.

Trevon Diggs was one of the Cowboys’ best defenders in the 40-40 tie with the Packers

While Diggs wasn’t on the field to start the game, he still took 63.9 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps, the exact same figure as DaRon Bland, and was easily one of the best Dallas defenders of the night.

While Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 31 of 43 passes for 337 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions to earn a 118.1 passer rating, he didn’t have much success against Diggs, who only allowed one reception that ultimately resulted in a 3-yard loss.

He also had an interception in the second quarter, only to watch it get wiped out because the Cowboys had 12 men on the field, and made a big tackle in the overtime period that helped hold Green Bay to a game-tying field goal.

Diggs, who’s dealt with nagging knee, shoulder, and hamstring issues this year but has still suited up for all four games, ultimately earned an 83.3 overall PFF grade for his performance, the second-highest mark among all Dallas defenders behind only James Houston (89.3).

It’ll be interesting to see if he’s back in the starting lineup this Sunday when the Cowboys take on the New York Jets.