Brett Favre played errorless football and the Minnesota Vikings' defense shut down the host Washington Redskins after their initial drive en route to a 17-13 victory Sunday, providing Leslie Frazier his first win as interim coach.

Favre was 15 of 23 for 172 yards and engineered a six-minute drive to run out the clock at the end of the game for the Vikings, who fired head coach Brad Childress after last week's humiliating 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers and a season filled pretty much with turmoil.

Minnesota (4-7) took the opening kick of the second half 80 yards on nine plays, with rookie Toby Gerhart scoring on a 5-yard run off left tackle to provide a 14-7 lead. Favre completed all six passes for 61 yards on the drive.

Late in the third period, Washington quarterback Donovan McNabb was picked off by linebacker E.J. Henderson at the Washington 9-yard line, and Ryan Longwell converted a 31-yard field goal for a 17-7 edge with under a minute to play in the third.

Brandon Banks took the ensuing kickoff 65 yards, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Graham Gano, and McNabb found Anthony Armstrong down the left sideline for 45 yards before Gano nailed a 42-yarder to cut the deficit to 17-13 with 10:08 left.

McNabb led the Redskins on a 13-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in 7:53 on their first possession of the game. McNabb completed all seven passes for 76 yards and converted three third-downs.

But the Vikings dominated thereafter as the Redskins recorded just five first downs the rest of the game.

McNabb was 21 of 35 for 211 yards for Washington (5-6), which saw its small postseason chances diminish even further.

Adrian Peterson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:27 left in the first quarter, capping a seven-play, 71-yard drive that tied the game at 7-7.

Peterson went over the 1,000-yard mark later in the period before injuring an ankle midway through the second quarter. He didn't return and finished with 36 yards on six carries.