It seems like the week leading up to Dallas Cowboys Week 3 clash with the Arizona Cardinals has been more dangerous than the game itself will be. Trevon Diggs' season is over after a practice injury, Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz are both question marks to start in Arizona with injuries of their own, and the entire Cowboys roster just feels banged up right now. The Cowboys still remain heavy favorites against one of the least talented rosters in football though.

Here are three bold Cowboys Week 3 predictions for a Dallas lineup that takes on the Cardinals after undergoing a lot of changes over the last week.

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1.) DaRon Bland not only survives, he thrives

If DaRon Bland is going to get thrown into the deep end again this year, you can't ask for a much better team to start him off against than the Arizona Cardinals. Bland took full advantage of the reps he got playing outside corner at the end of last season. The success Bland had last year makes him a shoo-in to take over in Diggs' absence this season, starting Sunday afternoon in Arizona.

Bland won't have to play a perfect game on Sunday for the Cowboys to beat the Cardinals. Josh Dobbs and the Cardinals' corps of wide receivers just aren't talented enough to take advantage of a young corner, especially not one that has shown he is capable of playing at the level Bland has. The Cowboys know that, and Bland knows that. The Cowboys' relentless pass rush will force a number of poor decisions from Dobbs on Sunday afternoon. Bland may just be the member of the Cowboys' secondary that takes advantage.

2.) Dak Prescott and the offense face an aggressive pass rush

The Cardinals are going to need to throw some haymakers on Sunday afternoon if they want to match stride with America's Team. It will take a lot of big plays on both sides of the ball for Arizona to come out on top against Dallas. On defense, that likely starts with putting as much pressure on Dak Prescott as possible.

Even if Martin and Biadasz get on the field against the Cardinals, Dallas' offensive line is banged up. Tyler Smith is on his way to making his first start of the season while the other two members of the interior offensive line deal with their own bumps and bruises. The Cowboys don't have many weaknesses for the cardinals to exploit right now, but the health of the offensive line may be one of them.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis should be looking for every opportunity to put a man in Dallas' backfield. Linebacker blitzes, safety blitzes, any chance the Cardinals have to make Prescott uncomfortable, they're going to take it. If they don't, Arizona's defensive line is not effective enough to disrupt Dallas' offense.

3.) Micah Parsons' MVP campaign officially begins

Defensive Player of the Year is going to be within reach for Micah Parsons essentially every year until he retires. He's destined to win at least one sooner or later in his career. With three sacks and a forced fumble already on the board through two games, Parsons is already off to a strong start in the DPOY race. If the Cowboys' phenomenal pass-rusher can take advantage of a soft opponent on Sunday afternoon, Parsons could thrust himself into the early MVP conversation.

Only nine teams saw their quarterbacks sacked more often than the Cardinals last year. The New York Giants failed to sack Josh Dobbs in Week 2, but the Washington Commanders brought him down three times in Week 1. Now faced with the toughest pass rush in the league, things could get ugly in Arizona if Dobbs has to stand in the pocket.

The Cardinals should be running Dobbs away from Parsons as much as possible, but that doesn't always stop Parsons from making plays. If Parsons can sack Dobbs more than once and force another turnover, he will officially belong in the MVP race through the first few weeks of the season.