The Giants special teams units were at it again, testing Tom Coughlin's blood pressure with a string of miscues.
The defense had silenced Adrian Peterson and proven why Tampa Bay gave up on Josh Freeman, but the defensive domination was negated by the game's most agonizing mistakes.
The Giants were winless and showing why, and special teams coach Tom Quinn looked like the culprit for loss No. 7. Then, the Giants' special teams met their match — an even more inept unit.
Despite allowing a punt return for a touchdown and fumbling a punt in their own territory, the Giants claimed their first victory of the season, 23-7, over the Vikings Monday night at MetLife Stadium following Minnesota's two second-half special team fumbles.
"It's disappointing, but we got the win," punter Steve Weatherford said about the team surrendering its third punt return for a touchdown this season. "As much as you hate for that to happen to you, winning fixes everything."
The Giants' special teams saga began when Weatherford's 51-yard punt was brought back 86 yards by Vikings cornerback Marcus Sherels up the left sideline, giving the Vikings a 7-3 lead with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.
Sherels, who only had four returns for eight yards entering the game, inched the Giants' 31st-ranked punt return coverage closer to the league-worst Redskins'. The Giants now are allowing 20.4 yards per punt return and have allowed a league-worst three touchdowns.
"Third one of the year, it's just embarrassing," Zak DeOssie told The Post. "We saved face getting two turnovers on special teams, but we still have to fix that. We can't let teams get points on us like that. It's unacceptable.
"We have to keep up our end of the bargain. We have to do away with all of those negative plays on special teams. It's up to us to fix it. Hopefully that's the last one of the year. We'd certainly like to think so."
Less than one minute into the second half, Rueben Randle exacerbated the issue after being stripped on a punt return by linebacker Larry Dean, which was recovered by Minnesota's Cullen Loeffler on the 31-yard line. Antrel Rolle's interception of Freeman two plays later removed special teams from the guillotine, but a bigger turnover would come less than six minutes later.
One play after Sherels dropped an easy opportunity to return an Eli Manning pass for a touchdown, the cornerback tripped on a punt return without being touched and fumbled deep in his own territory. DeOssie dove on the ball at the 3-yard line, setting up Peyton Hillis' touchdown run two plays later and giving the Giants a 17-7 lead with 8:37 left in the third quarter.
"We had to get on our horse and make something happen because [Sherels] just returned one for a touchdown," said DeOssie. "It was a big momentum-changer, and the more we can get, the better, but it still doesn't take away the punt return for a touchdown."
For the moment it did, especially after Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was stripped by Damontre Moore on a short kickoff at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which was recovered by Jacquian Williams, setting up the third field goal from Josh Brown, who had not attempted a kick in the past two games.
It was ugly and nearly unwatchable, but the Giants escaped with a win. It didn't matter how. It happened. That was all that mattered.
"You never want to think that you can't catch a break because that's thinking negatively," Weatherford said. "You have to make your own luck."
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