A lot went right during the Cowboys' trip to Hawaii, but was it due to the amount of players that weren't actually there?

HONOLULU -- If you focus on the end of a preseason touchdown drought, the end of a victory drought and the charm the island has to offer, it qualified as a wildly successful excursion for the Cowboys.

A 14-10 win over the LA Rams marked the first preseason win for the Cowboys in nearly two full years. Who knows, maybe the team celebrated with a little huli-huli chicken before taking the long flight back to the mainland immediately after Saturday night's victory.

The 97-yard touchdown drive engineered by Dak Prescott was also cause for celebration.

"I don't know that one play stuck out to me," head coach Jason Garrett said. "The drive stuck out to me."

The Cowboys converted on third down on three occasions on that initial drive. Prescott found Michael Gallup for 31 yards on third-and-7. Later in the drive, on third-and-6, he hit tight end Jason Witten for 10 yards.

That's the same Jason Witten who was playing in his first game since the final day of 2017 against Philadelphia.

"It felt really good," said Witten, who came out of retirement in February. "I was very anxious to get out there and play.

"I got a little antsy early but had a big third-down conversion on an option route. That was big."

On the next play, rookie Tony Pollard became the first Dallas player to find the end zone in the preseason since receiver Terrance Williams 12 months ago. His 14-yard run helped take the Cowboys to a 7-0 lead.

Prescott completed all five of his passes for 64 yards in a 12-play drive that also overcame a second-and-22 after a sack. Prescott and the rest of the starters retired to the sidelines for the rest of the game.

"I thought Dak was in total command," Witten said. "We were backed up on our 3-yard line, and he said, 'Let's go 97.'

"We did."

Here are some individual statistics to keep in mind through two preseason games.

Prescott is 9 of 9 for 87 yards.

"It is a small sample size," Garrett said. "We're not going crazy about him being 9 for 9, but what he's done well is play well. He's played well in practice, and he's played well in the preseason games.

"He's making good decisions and making good throws."

Pollard has nine carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. He's caught one pass for 9 yards.

"Tony is very poised," Garrett said. "He plays with a maturity beyond his years. We're only a couple of preseason games into it, not a lot of plays into it, but it follows with what we've seen in practice in how he handles himself.

"He's off to a good start. He's got a long way to go, but he goes about it the right way."

Gallup has three receptions for 50 yards. That doesn't include the 26 yards he picked up on a pass interference call against San Francisco in the opener.

It should be noted the Cowboys marched down the field against the Rams without four Pro Bowl players on the offensive side of the ball.

Left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin returned to Dallas rather than make the trip to Hawaii, and running back Ezekiel Elliott's holdout continues.

Receiver Amari Cooper was on the field before the game but didn't play. He hasn't practiced or played in more than two weeks since suffering a heel injury.

Now, the counter argument.

The Rams left 20 of their 22 starters back in California. Nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day was the only defensive starter on the field during the Cowboys' initial drive.

"I just think the biggest thing you try to emphasize to your team is every rep is your rep and every rep is an important rep," Garrett said heading into the game. "Get yourself mentally, physically and emotionally ready to take advantage of it.

"It really doesn't matter who you're going against. The idea is to come to work and be ready to play and be your best."

The Cowboys weren't at their best against the Rams.

But they were good enough to end a five-game preseason losing streak.

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with The Musers at 9:35 a.m. and The Hardline at 4:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday during training camp.

Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN