Following a very hectic free agency period when the Giants lost Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith, defensive tackle Barry Cofield, and tight end Kevin Boss, expectations from many analysts and fans alike were very low. After losing the season opener to the Washington Redskins, the Giants went 6–2 before hitting a collapse, losing four straight games. At 6–6, the Giants won three of their last four games to finish at 9–7 with the NFC East championship. In their first playoff game since the 2008 NFC Divisional round, they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24–2, with the Falcons' only points coming on a first quarter safety on Eli Manning. In the 2012 divisional game Coughlin coached the Giants to a 37–20 win over the heavily favored defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers a team who finished the 2011 regular season with a league best 15–1 win-loss record. The following week, he coached the Giants to a 20–17 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game to set up a Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots. On February 5, 2012, Coughlin's Giants defeated the Patriots 21–17 in Super Bowl XLVI, at the time, making Coughlin the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl, until Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick won Super Bowl LIII at the age of 66. On June 6, 2012 it was announced he had signed a contract extension to keep him with the Giants until at least 2014. At the same time, Coughlin announced that he would like to coach into his seventies. In July 2012, Coughlin was the winner of the 2012 Best Coach/Manager ESPY Award.