The New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings met in their NFL clash in a game neither team could afford to lose following terrible starts to the 2013 season.
Tom Coughlin's side were winless six games into their campaign while the Vikings had only one victory to show for their first five matches.
The Giants took advantage of several turnovers and poor quarterback play from the visitors quarterback Josh Freeman on his first start for the club to secure their first win of the season.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings.
We're set for an interesting battle between two sides that are struggling this season in the NFL as the Giants are yet to win a game this year while the Vikings have only one to their name so far.
Josh Freeman is set for his first start as Vikings quarterback after edging out Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder since his arrival earlier this month after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Freeman has only been at the club a week so it should be interesting to see how much of the playbook he has grasped.
The Giants will be looking to take advantage of any mistakes Freeman can make while keeping their own turnovers to a minimum, which has been easier said than done for Tom Coughlin's side this season as they've committed 23 turnovers through six games. That's more than the total they had for the entirety of last season.
A lot will rest of the shoulders of Eli Manning as the Giants running game has been decimated by injuries, but he has struggled mightily with throwing interceptions at key moments. He cost his side against the Chicago Bears last time out and will be looking rectify those errors this week.
Manning will be going up against a defense that struggled against the Carolina Panthers last time out as they gave up 38 points to Cam Newton and co, with several big plays downfield. If they hope to win this game they'll have to stop those big plays.
GIANTS INACTIVES: Nassib, Wilson, Hosley, Taylor, Jacobs, Robinson, Hankins.
VIKINGS INACTIVES: Cassel, Jefferson, Hodges, Baca, Smith, Baker, Trattou.
The Giants are without first choice running backs David Wilson and Brandon Jacobs for this game due to injury, cornerback Jayron Hosley is also out along with defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins.
The Vikings placed safety Harrison Smith on their IR return list this week so he misses out, which leaves his side vulnerable deep down the field.
A lot will rest on the shoulders of reigning MVP Adrian Peterson tonight for the Vikings given Freeman's lack of knowledge in their system. You have to wonder what state of mind the 28-year-old is in just a week removed from the death of his two-year-old son.
The Vikings won the coin toss and deferred meaning the Giants will get the ball first.
Jernigan returns the ball to 16 where Manning and co will begin.
Manning gets his side moving himself on the ground and he evades the rush and runs down the middle of the field for a 10-yard pick up. After Cox had found five yards on second.
The Giants keep the chains moving as Manning fakes the ball to Hillis and looks downfield for a pass, he can't find an open man and is forced to check down to Hillis, who does well to pick up 12 yards.
Cruz moves the chains this time as he collects a short pass from Manning and evades two tacklers and gets 13 yards for his side to move them to the 50.
Another set of downs and another pass to a wide receiver as Manning fires to Randle on a hitch route and he turns to find nine yards on third and three. A crucial pick up for the Giants.
Myers keeps the drive alive for the Giants with a crucial catch on third down on a crossing route beating man coverage to move his side to the Vikings' 24. Manning got away with a sure turnover on second after Sendejo dropped a would be interception.
Nicks drops a touchdown pass in the endzone as Manning overthrows him on a go route after he beat cornerback Rhodes leaving him wide open. A poor throw by the quarterback meaning that Brown will have to kick a 35-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Brown makes no mistake from 35 yards as he blasts his kick through the posts.
Brown kicks the ball out of the endzone where Freeman will start for the first time as a Viking.
Freeman shows poise in the pocket as he evades the rush with his feet taking just a step to the left and fires down the middle for Simpson for a nine-yard pick up on third down.
Freeman's first drive as a Viking is over as his pass on third down falls incomplete with no receivers open downfield and the rush of the Giants closing in fast. Peterson was stuffed for a three-yard loss on second, if the Giants keep doing that they will win the game.
Locke's punt is caught at the 32 by Randle but a penalty on Moore backs the Giants up to their own 17.
Connor gets the first down for the Giants this time as Manning gets put under pressure and is forced to release the ball quickly to the full back, who evades a tackle and manages to get 10 yards.
No first down for the Giants this time as the Vikings bring the house on third down and Manning is forced to release quickly again and gets the ball out to Pascoe, who is tackled immediately for a short gain. Weatherford will be forced to punt.
TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS!
The Vikings take the lead as Sherels produces a brilliant punt return to beat several tacklers to get into the endzone for a 86-yard score. He evades so many players on that return and the punter as well as Weatherford tried in vain to haul him down but couldn't and to make matters worse, he was penalised for 15 yards for a horse-collar tackle.
Jernigan brings the ball out to the Giants 22, where Manning will begin again.
The quarter ends as Manning hands off to Cox, who gets a yard. It will be second and nine when the Giants start in the second quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Minnesota Vikings 7-3 New York Giants
The Giants can't get the first down as Nicks drops the first pass on second and them Hillis can't come up with the ball on third forcing Weatherford to punt. This time Sherels takes the fair catch at the Vikings' 35.
Freeman struggles for the Vikings on the drive as he overthrows Wright for what would have been a first down and on third and eight, he drills the ball to Rudolph, who falls two yards short of the marker.
Locke's punt is caught for the fair catch by Randle at the 17.
Manning gets his side rolling again as he finds Cruz over the middle on a crossing route as he sits in the zone and waits for the ball for a 12-yard pick up.
Manning goes back to Cruz again this time down the left-hand sideline on a comeback route for 11 yards to keep the chains moving for the Giants. They're at their own 48 at the moment.
Rhodes gives up a big penalty for the Vikings as he hauls Nicks to the ground and the officials flag for pass interference which moves the Giants to the 24.
TOUCHDOWN GIANTS!
The Giants regain the lead as Manning fires a strike down the left-hand sideline for Randle and he goes up to get the ball above Cook and dives into the endzone for the score, on a 24-yard reception. A great throw and catch.
Brown's kick goes out of the endzone and Freeman will start at the 20.
Freeman moves the Vikings for the first time in an age as he picks up the first down with a short throw to Peterson, who checks out of a block and runs for 22 yards to move his side to the 42.
A better throw from Freeman as he moves his side into Giants territory with throw down the seam to Rudolph for 21 yards. That was a dart from the quarterback.
The Vikings drive is over as Freeman is forced to scramble on third down again and he can't find an open man and just throws the ball away. After Peterson was stopped for a two-yard gain on first and second down. Walsh will attempt a 53-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL NO GOOD!
Walsh misses for the first time from over 50 yards as his kick falls short.
The Giants waste good field position as they go three and out as Nicks drops a pass on first down, while Cox is stuffed for no gain on the ground on second. Manning tries a screen for Myers on third but he's forced to ground the ball under pressure.
Weatherford punts the ball into the endzone, so Freeman will start at his own 20.
The Vikings go three and out again as Patterson is dropped just short of the first down marker on a screen on third by a good tackle from Pierre-Paul. Freeman is struggling with his throws and Peterson can't get anything going on the ground.
Manning rolls out to his right on play-action and the Vikings bite allowing him to find Cruz down the right-hand sideline for 12 yards and a first down for his side at the 43.
Manning is stopped on the next series though as again he faces pressure up the middle and is forced to release quickly. to Hillis who is dropped well short of the first down marker.
Weatherford's punt lands at the 19 where it's downed by the Giants, so Freeman will have to drive his side 81 yards for a touchdown to take the lead at the half.
Rolle costs his side as he leads with his head at Simpson as the receiver tries to catch the ball on a slant route. It's a 15-yard penalty, which moves Minnesota to their own 35.
The Vikings' drive comes to an end as Freeman fails to find Jennings on third down as he throws the ball behind him and the receiver can't quite bring the ball in bounds forcing a punt from Locke. His punt lands at the one and rolls back to the seven.
SACK! Allen brings down Manning with incredible strength as he reaches around Beatty to haul the quarterback to the ground. That makes it third and long for the Giants and the opt for a safe play as Manning tosses the ball to Hillis who gets seven yards on the ground.
Sherels gathers Weatherford's punt at the 30, where Freeman will begin.
Freeman hands the ball off to Peterson and allow the clock to run down and that will be the end of the half.
HALF TIME: Minnesota Vikings 7-10 New York Giants
The Giants lead at the break but this game has been far from a classic as both teams struggled desperately on offense. That fact the scores are so low is not down to good defense but poor execution from both quarterbacks and their receivers.
Freeman hasn't looked comfortable at all in the first half and has completed just seven of his 16 throws and his side's seven points came from their special teams. They have a lot of work to do to try and get him going after the break.
Manning has been poor as well but has one touchdown to his name as he delivered a good strike to Randle for a 24-yard score but apart from that he hasn't looked in sync with his receivers at all bar a couple of short completions to Cruz. He is 15/23 for 126 yards. Without a running game, his side's chances will rest on him.
The Vikings will begin at the 20 as Brown's kick goes out of the endzone.
The Vikings start with a three and out as Freeman's pass is nearly picked off by Amukamara after Wright had got 12 yards on second down. Not a good start for the Vikings.
FUMBLE!!
Randle collects the punt and tries to run down the right but the ball gets knocked from his hands by Dean and Loeffler gets down on the ball before it rolls out of bounds to hand the Vikings back possession at the Giants' 31.
INTERCEPTION GIANTS!
Oh dear! Under pressure Freeman tosses the ball up and Rolle is able to pick it off with an athletic play as he tips it to himself and brings it in on the second attempt. Not a good play by Freeman as he costs his team three points for sure.
The Giants can't capitalise on the switch in momentum as they go three and out as Manning's short pass to Randle on third down only gets them seven yards when 15 were needed. Weatherford punts to Sherels who gets a 13-yard return to move his side to their 26.
Another three and out for the Vikings and this is getting ugly for Freeman as he is nearly intercepted again but Rudolph breaks up the pass as Rivers tried to catch it. Locke punts to the 33 where the Vikings down it.
Manning in nearly picked off by Sherels as he makes a break on ball aimed at Cruz but he can't come up with the play as he drops the ball allowing the Giants to punt.
FUMBLE!!
A bad couple of plays for Sherels as he fumbles the ball on the punt and the Giants manage to gather the ball take it to the Minnesota five. A huge moment in the game! However, it's under review, but I think this will stand.
The fumble is confirmed and the Giants have the ball at the three-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN GIANTS!
The Giants extend their lead as Hillis powers into the endzone on his second carry from the goalline and gets in behind a block from Connor for his first touchdown as a member of the Giants.
Patterson makes a brilliant return on the kickoff for 69 yards moving his team to the Giants 40.
The Vikings finally move the chains as Freeman fins Jennings over the middle on a crossing route and he manages to beat two defenders to get the first down, after Simpson dropped a touchdown pass in the endzone on first.
More terrible football from the Vikings as they take Peterson out of the game on third down after he ran for seven yards on second and Freeman takes a huge sack from Tuck, who brings him down for a 14-yard loss, knocking Minnesota out of field goal range. Locke is brought on to punts but he kicks the ball into the endzone and now Manning will start at the 20. Awful!
Manning gets a first down as he does well to fire to Myers over the middle of the field on a crossing route for 11 yards under pressure from the Vikings defensive line on third down.
Nicks gets the chains moving for the Giants this time as he and Manning hook up for a 21-yard gain with a lovely back shoulder throw which Nick goes up for and brings down under pressure from Robinson.
Manning somehow fires a completion to Nicks under huge pressure as he evades Robison coming unblocked from the right and released the ball but takes a shot from Allen, but Nicks catches the pass for an 11-yard reception and another set of downs.
The Vikings discipline on defense costs them as they allow Hillis out in the open and Manning evades their pressure in the pocket yet again and the running back is allowed to find 12 yard on the reception which is enough for a first down.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Minnesota Vikings 7-17 New York Giants
The Giants get another first down as Manning fires to Hillis on third down as he powers through a tackle and spins his way to the first down getting nine yards.
The Vikings make a huge stand inside the redzone as Henderson manages to haul down Cruz before he can reach the first down marker on third down. Brown will attempt a 23-yard field goal to make it a 13-point game.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Brown knocks the ball through the posts to extend his side's lead to 13 points.
FUMBLE!
Brown kicks the ball short to Floyd and the defensive tackle runs the ball back but has it stripped from his grasp by Moore and the Giants gather the ball inside the Vikings' redzone.
The Giants can't punch the ball in the endzone as Manning's fade pass to Nicks deep down the right is broken up by Rhodes in coverage, forcing Brown back into action from 36 yards.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Brown knocks the ball through the posts from 36 yards to make it a 16-point game.
Carlson returns Brown's kick to the 37 for 12 yards.
Peterson shows grit to pick up the first down for his side with a tough carry for one yard after Freeman found nine yards on first down.
Freeman finds Carlson for a first down on an out-pattern down the right-hand side and he does well to beat a couple of tackles to get the nine yards he needed.
Patterson gets open down the middle of the field and Freeman gets all the time in the world to find him as he gets good protection from his offensive line for a 15-yard reception on third down. This is better from the Vikings and Freeman.
The Vikings can't get a play on third down to get the seven yards they need for a first down so they get ready to go for it on fourth down following a Freeman incompletion.
Freeman's pass is almost picked off on fourth down but it falls incomplete anyway allowing the Giants to take over on downs.
The Giants can't kill the clock as Hillis gets stacked up for a loss on first down and can't find a yard on second. On third Manning just runs with the ball and takes a dive for negative yardage to keep the clock moving. Sherels collects Weatherford's punt and takes it to the Minnesota 47 for a 20-yard pick up.
The Vikings move the chains as Freeman finds Peterson on a screen pass for six yards as he does just enough to get the yardage breaking through a couple of tackles.
Freeman's miserable night continues as he throws four straight incompletions inside the redzone. His throws were never on target and didn't have a chance of reaching a receiver.
The Giants still can't run time out as they are stuffed for another three and out and Weatherford punts out of bounds to give the Vikings the ball back at their 40.
Freeman moves his side to the 30 with short completions but time is running out for the Vikings.
The Vikings can't convert on fourth down and that will allow Manning to kneel out for his side's first win of the season.
Manning kneels out and the Giants win a game at last.
FULL TIME: Minnesota Vikings 7-23 New York Giants
The Giants secure their first win of the season in one of the ugliest games of football you will ever see. Tom Coughlin won't care though as his side end their six-game winless run to start the season and are now just three games behind the leaders in the NFC East.
The Vikings' offense was atrocious, there is no way Freeman should have been playing in this game with his lack of knowledge of the new system, after joining the team two weeks ago. His play was sloppy and was the full reason his side lost tonight as they gave up so many good opportunities to put points on the board. That is on the coaching staff as much as it is Freeman as they drop to 1-5 in the NFC North.
Thanks for joining our commentary this morning, we'll be back on Friday with all the action from the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Carolina Panthers. Until then, goodbye.
