# 2011 New York Giants season
The 2011 [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants) season was the franchise's eighty-seventh season in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) and its eighth under head coach [Tom Coughlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-coughlin). The Giants finished the regular season 9-7-0, won the NFC East, and then went 4-0 in the playoffs, defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI for the team's eighth championship.[1](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season record | 9-7-0, 1st in the NFC East[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/2011/gamelog/) |
| Point differential | 394 points scored, 400 allowed, a margin of -6[3](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) |
| Head coach | Tom Coughlin, in his eighth season with the team[1](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule) |
| Playoff record | 4-0, culminating in a 21-17 win over New England in Super Bowl XLVI[1](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule) |
| Division clincher | 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, January 1, 2012[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) |
| Rush offense | Ranked 31st in the NFL during the regular season[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-offensive-game-plan-was-the-difference-in-sb-xlvi-09000d5d826b07b0) |
| Leading pass rusher | Jason Pierre-Paul, with 16.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss[6](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/giants/2011) |
## Regular season
The Giants opened with a 28-14 loss at Washington on September 11, then won three of their next four: 28-16 over the Rams on Monday night, 29-16 over the Eagles, and 31-27 over the Cardinals, before falling 36-25 to Seattle on October 9.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) After a bye in Week 7, the team reached 6-2 with narrow wins over Miami (20-17) and a 24-20 road victory at New England on November 6.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants)
**A midseason slide.** From Week 10 through Week 13 the Giants lost four straight, falling 27-20 at San Francisco, 17-10 to Philadelphia, 49-24 at New Orleans on Monday night, and 38-35 to the previously undefeated [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers), dropping them to 6-6.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) The season then turned on a three-game closing run. The Giants beat the Cowboys 37-34 on December 11, lost 23-10 at home to Washington on December 18, and then won the final two games, 29-14 over the Jets on December 24 and 31-14 over Dallas on January 1, to finish 9-7 and take the division.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants)
The team's underlying numbers were modest. The Giants scored 394 points and allowed 400, a negative differential for a division winner, and their rushing offense ranked 31st of 32 teams.[3](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-offensive-game-plan-was-the-difference-in-sb-xlvi-09000d5d826b07b0) On defense, [Jason Pierre-Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-pierre-paul) had a breakout All-Pro season with 16.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, while [Osi Umenyiora](https://www.edgepedia.org/osi-umenyiora) added nine sacks and [Justin Tuck](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-tuck) five despite injury-shortened seasons.[6](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/giants/2011)
## Playoffs
Seeded fourth, the Giants hosted Atlanta in the wild-card round on January 8 and won 24-2, holding the Falcons to a safety as their only score.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) The next week they went to [Lambeau Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambeau-field) and beat the 15-1 Green Bay Packers 37-20 on January 15.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants)
**NFC Championship.** In the conference title game at San Francisco on January 22, the Giants won 20-17. The game went to overtime, where a takeaway set up a game-winning field goal by Lawrence Tynes, a pattern the franchise had also followed in its 2007 conference championship win.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) • [7](https://www.giants.com/news/super-bowl-xlvi-highlights-tom-coughlin-eli-manning-new-england-patriots)
## Super Bowl XLVI
On February 5, 2012, in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), the Giants met the Patriots in a rematch of a Week 9 regular-season game and of [Super Bowl XLII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlii), and won 21-17.[4](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants) • [1](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule) It was the 13th [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) to be a rematch of a regular-season game, and the Giants improved to 3-0 in Super Bowls against opponents they had faced that season.[8](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579189099/patriots/fg3p98tqtldinobv9f5h.pdf)
Despite the league's 31st-ranked rush offense, the game plan emphasized establishing the run, an approach NFL.com's analysis credited, along with the work of Coughlin and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, as a key to the victory.[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-offensive-game-plan-was-the-difference-in-sb-xlvi-09000d5d826b07b0) The title was the Giants' eighth championship and their second in five seasons, following the 2007 team that also beat New England in a Super Bowl.[1](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule) • [7](https://www.giants.com/news/super-bowl-xlvi-highlights-tom-coughlin-eli-manning-new-england-patriots)
## Season in context
The 2011 championship run shared several features with the 2007 one that club observers have noted: season-opening road losses to division rivals, timely play from quarterback [Eli Manning](https://www.edgepedia.org/eli-manning), a postseason win at Lambeau Field, road conference-championship victories settled by Tynes field goals after overtime takeaways, and Super Bowl wins over the Patriots.[7](https://www.giants.com/news/super-bowl-xlvi-highlights-tom-coughlin-eli-manning-new-england-patriots) It also stands out statistically as a championship won by a team with a losing point differential and one of the league's least productive running games, which made the late-season and playoff surge the decisive factor rather than sustained regular-season dominance.[3](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-offensive-game-plan-was-the-difference-in-sb-xlvi-09000d5d826b07b0)
## References
1. [2011 New York Giants, Pro Football History.com](https://pro-football-history.com/season/242/2011-new-york-giants-schedule)
2. [2011 New York Giants Game Log, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/2011/gamelog/)
3. [2011 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg)
4. [NFL 2011 New York Giants Schedule, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2011/by-team/new-york-giants)
5. [Giants' offensive game plan was the difference in SB XLVI, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-offensive-game-plan-was-the-difference-in-sb-xlvi-09000d5d826b07b0)
6. [2011 New York Giants, Pro Football Rewind](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/giants/2011)
7. [Giants reflect on Super Bowl XLVI run a decade later, Giants.com](https://www.giants.com/news/super-bowl-xlvi-highlights-tom-coughlin-eli-manning-new-england-patriots)
8. [2011 Giants Season Notes, NFL.com club PDF](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579189099/patriots/fg3p98tqtldinobv9f5h.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2010 to 2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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