Dak Prescott is playing great.But it just hasn’t been enough for the struggling Dallas Cowboys, who fell 30-27 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Prescott’s great start to the 2025 campaign has been marred by the Cowboys’ success – or lack thereofGettyWith America’s Team now 2-3-1 in 2025, 32-year-old Prescott has addressed his future in the league, providing a timeline on when he expects to hang up his cleats for good.“Forties would be a good number,” Prescott said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Obviously, I’ve been through some injuries, played very physical in college. So if I can get to 40 playing at the standard that I want, yeah, that’d be awesome. “But to answer your question, yeah, it’s definitely changed. I can see it more realistically now. “And I think as much as anything, just the fun and the peace that this game still gives me, 10 years in, it’s going to be hard. You can’t supplement it. “So as long as I can do this at a level that I’m proud and happy with, I’ll keep trying.”Through the first six games of the season, despite winning just two, the three-time Pro Bowler has completed a career-high 71.6 percent of his 229 pass attempts, with 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions.Prescott is also averaging 269.5 yards per contest, having thrown for 1,617 on the year so far.However, the Cowboys defense, which lost star pass rusher Micah Parsons just days before the start of the season via a blockbuster trade to the Green Bay Packers, has been a non-factor.As it stands, they have the worst defense in the league, allowing 412 yards per contest, and ranking last in first downs allowed, and 31st in the league for points allowed.In their loss against Carolina, Prescott still completed 25-of-34 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, but the defense could not deal with the wrath of former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. Prescott has completed over 70 percent of his pass attempts for the first time in his 10-year careerGettyDowdle’s revenge game exposed the Cowboys’ defensive struggles, with the team allowing 400-plus scrimmage yards per contest – the worst in the NFLGettyAdmitting that he was gearing up for a revenge game over the team that let him walk in free agency, Dowdle rushed for 183 yards from 30 carries, and finished the contest with 239 total yards and a receiving touchdown.Quarterback Bryce Young – who has been under the cosh this season – completed an efficient 68 percent of his passes for 199 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and has nearly eclipsed his career-best win record of 4-8 in just a third of the season, with the Panthers .500 with a 3-3 record.Prescott still has faith in Cowboys to make playoffsDespite the Cowboys’ early struggles in the season, the 10-year veteran quarterback still holds the belief in his team that they can turn their season around and make a charge for the playoffs. “It’s a long season,” Prescott said after Sunday’s loss. “I’ve been 3-5 before and we made the playoffs. “We’ve just gotta find a way to win these close games. And I have all the confidence that we will. “We got a lot of great players. We got guys getting healthy and coming back. That’s only gonna make this team better and more explosive. We gotta keep our heads down and keep working.” Bryce Young has had one of the best seasons of his young career, one win away from matching his career-best totalGettyPickens has been a bright spark in Dallas amid the absence of CeeDee LambGettyPrescott has been posting great numbers despite the absence of No. 1 target CeeDee Lamb, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in Dallas’ 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3. That is largely in part due to the arrival of George Pickens, who came over to Dallas in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the off-season. The first-year Cowboy, who has so far proven not to be a ‘headache’ for coach Brian Schottenheimer, has amassed 525 yards and a career-high six touchdowns from 32 receptions.With Lamb and several others expected to return to action within the next few weeks, according to Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones, Prescott is confident that opposition teams will struggle to defend the dynamic one-two punch receiving duo.“(CeeDee Lamb) gets back and he gets healthy, good luck on how teams are going to play us,” Prescott added when speaking about Pickens.Next up for the Cowboys is a tough NFC East divisional matchup against the Washington Commanders, who themselves are seeking to close ground on the division leaders Philadelphia Eagles.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.