Totally out of luck in the opening six matchdays, it took just five minutes of the seventh game for Gladbach to find themselves behind again.
Dzenan Pejcinovic helped Leo Sauer’s header on to Ermedin Demirovic, who suddenly chose to volley it from range. The powerful effort caught Moritz Nicolas by surprise, and his hand was not strong enough to stop the ball from bouncing behind him and over the line.
The visitors continued to look off the pace, but Stuttgart failed to capitalise and soon missed chances to double the lead through Pejcinovic, Lorenz Assignon and Ramon Hendriks.
Gladbach started to work their way back into the game as a result, building up to a shock equaliser before half-time.
A cross into the six-yard box was only cleared as far as Zento Uno, whose volley back into the mix was inventively backheeled into the bottom corner by an instinctive Joe Scally.
And there was even a chance for the visitors to complete the turnaround in first-half stoppage time, as Wael Mohya fired against the bar and Hugo Bolin failed to find the target on the rebound.
But the league’s bottom club didn’t have to wait long after the break to take the lead, as Mohya showed both skill and strength to get past both Sauer and Assignon and square it to Shuto Machino, who blasted inside the near post.
Stuttgart continued to look unconvincing after that, soon finding themselves two goals behind.
Finn Jeltsch gave it away to Mohya, whose eventual shot was saved by Nicolas, only for chaos to ensue in the area. Among the melee, Scally was able to cross it back in, and Mohya was waiting at the back post to head over the line.
It looked as though Stuttgart were about to fizzle out, but a cross from Jamie Leweling was headed in by Demirovic to plant seeds of doubt in Gladbach minds.
But a great save from Nicolas to deny Leweling ensured that they sealed the three points, and in doing so avoided entering the history books as the outright worst-ever starters to a Bundesliga season. Though they’ve started well in the UEFA Champions League, it’s already Stuttgart’s fifth league defeat of the campaign - more than half of their tally from the entirety of last season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Wael Mohya (Borussia Monchengladbach)