Coach Brian Daboll was visibly excited after picking up his first win as head coach, and NFL Films captured the moment.

While the victory itself was more than enough of a reason to get fired up, Daboll told the media after the game why that Week 1 win in Nashville had a more significant meaning for him.

"It's a special moment because it's my first win but last year coming here for the Buffalo game, I lost my grandfather on the airplane as I was landing. So, that was weighing heavy on me after the game..." the head coach said. "When he missed it, you know, I thought about them. It was – I don't come from much. Those two people helped me get to where I am."

Daboll's grandparents played a very important role in his upbringing, which can be read about here.

Since being named head coach, Daboll has not shied away from crediting the two for helping him reach this level of success in his career.

"I'm comfortable in my own skin," he said at his introductory press conference. "Look, I don't have all the answers. There's going to be some things that come up that I'm going to have to lean on a lot of people – Joe (Schoen), the support staff, the coaches. But my personality and how I treat people and my expectations and values, I hold those true to my heart.

"I was raised by two grandparents, old school, I lost both of them this year. That's who I lean on. My formative years, 20 something years of – look my grandmother is harder than Bill (Belichick) or Nick (Saban) could ever be. So, you talk about you lose a game and you want to hear all the people talking, she got me ready for this the best I can."

Andrew Thomas starts Year 3 with strong performance

Andrew Thomas made a big jump in his development between his first and second season.

While it's only been one game, his performance against the Titans showed that there could be even bigger things in store for the left tackle in Year 3.

Thomas allowed just one pressure on 31 pass block snaps and played a big role in the Giants rushing for 238 yards and 7.4 yards per carry. His 79.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked third among all offensive tackles, while his 82.3 pass block grade ranked sixth and his 75.4 run block grade ranked 15th.

"When we run the ball and we are explosive it is definitely a good feeling," Thomas said after the game. "We've got a good stable of running backs and if we open up the lanes they can be successful."

Other Giants rankings via PFF:

*Oshane Ximines - 8th among edge defenders in pass rush grade (80.6), 8th in run defense grade (76.6) and 10th in overall grade (86.0)

*Dexter Lawrence - 8th among interior defensive linemen in pass rush grade (81.5) and 13th in overall grade (79.1)

*Leonard Williams - 13th among interior defensive linemen in run defense grade (75.0)

*Jihad Ward - 7th among edge defenders in run defense grade (76.9)

*Aaron Robinson - 11th among cornerbacks in overall grade (73.4) and 15th in coverage grade (72.4)

*Adoree' Jackson - 13th among cornerbacks in run defense grade (74.9) and 16th in overall grade (71.5)

*Darnay Holmes - 12th among cornerbacks in run defense grade (75.3)

*Julian Love - 11th among safeties in run defense grade (73.3)

*Daniel Bellinger - 10th among tight ends in run block grade (68.7)

*Sterling Shepard - 15th among wide receivers in run block grade (71.4)

Inside the Numbers: Saquon Barkley's torrid start

As he ran through and around NFL defenses during a debut season that earned him the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, Saquon Barkley seemed poised to one day dominate the rushing yardage section in the Giants' record book.

That process slowed when he missed playing time with injuries in each of the next three seasons, most notably with a torn ACL in 2020 that limited him to five quarters and 19 carries.

Barkley is healthy again and his twin assaults on both Giants opponents and the franchise's records have returned with the same fury he demonstrated four years ago.

In the Giants' season-opening 21-20 victory in Tennessee on Sunday, Barkley rushed for 164 yards on 18 carries (9.1-yard avg.), including a 68-yarder to set up his four-yard touchdown run, caught a team-high six passes for 30 yards and scored the game-deciding points on a two-point conversion reception with 1:06 remaining.

Barkley's 164 rushing yards and 194 yards from scrimmage were both the highest totals in the NFL in Week 1.

His 9.1-yards per-carry average was the highest by a Giants player with at least 18 rushing attempts since Dec. 30, 2006, when Tiki Barber averaged 10.2 yards (23 carries for 234 yards) at Washington in his final regular-season game.

Barkley's 164 rushing yards were exactly double that of Tennessee's two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry. Primarily because of that, the Giants outrushed the Titans, 238-93. The 145-yard difference was the largest in the Giants' favor since Dec. 31, 2017, when they owned a 260-61 advantage on the ground against Washington.

Barkley's 100-yard game was the 13th of his career. That ties him with Brandon Jacobs for fourth on the Giants' career list, four behind Rodney Hampton.

Click here to read more notes and stats from the Week 1 win