After a year as a backup with the 49ers, QB Sam Darnold is back as a starter and will lead the Vikings on Sunday at the New York Giants.

Darnold met with reporters in Eagan this week and repeatedly expressed how excited he is about the opportunity.

***Click on the video box above to watch Darnold’s preview of Sunday’s game at NYG***

Below is a preview of Sunday’s QB battle, courtesy of the Associated Press:

Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones were thrown into the deep end early in their NFL debuts, facing intense pressure as young quarterbacks in the nation’s largest media market.

As is often the case in this sink-or-swim competition for players at the sport’s most demanding positions, the results have not lived up to the high expectations that their announced arrivals generated. In what may be their last chance to convince the league that they can be capable starters for years to come, Darnold and Jones will lead their teams to the same season opener on Sunday when the Vikings visit the New York Giants.

Whatever the outcome, it probably doesn’t bode well for the loser.

Darnold, in his first year with Minnesota after replacing Brock Purdy for the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers last season, was the third overall pick by the New York Jets out of Southern California in 2018. He is the last rookie quarterback to win a Week 1 start, but the Jets went 4-12 and traded him to the Carolina Panthers three years later. In 56 career starts, Darnold has 55 interceptions and a 21-35 record.

Though he’s back on first-string status with the Vikings, Darnold was clearly signed (for one year and $10 million) to serve as a temporary bridge from the departed Kirk Cousins ​​to rookie JJ McCarthy. He’s only assured of keeping the job because of McCarthy’s season-ending knee injury last month.

“As a young player, you can definitely get excited about what the future holds or what things can look like, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to be where your feet are,” Darnold said. “This sport, this position, it’s hard enough. If you start worrying about the wrong things, it’s going to hurt you later on.”

Jones was the sixth overall pick by the Giants in 2019 out of Duke to replace a fading Eli Manning, whom he replaced two weeks into that rookie season. Though Jones won that first start, with 336 yards passing and touchdowns on the road against Tampa Bay, he and the Giants struggled in his first three years.

His breakout 2022 season, which included an NFL-best interception percentage and just eight turnovers in 16 games with a career-high 708 rushing yards and the Giants’ first playoff win in 11 seasons, led to a four-year, $160 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. What followed in 2023 was just interceptions, sacks and injuries. Jones missed three games with a neck issue, then tore his ACL in November.

“I spent some time on the sidelines, watching the game and wishing you were there,” Jones said. “I’m happy to be back, definitely grateful and very thankful for all the help I’ve had throughout this whole journey and people who have done a lot to help me get back.”

The Vikings were partially responsible for the new deal the Giants gave Jones after he tore up their secondary for two 300-yard performances in a four-game span, including the wild-card round win at Minnesota on Jan. 15, 2023. With no guaranteed money left on his deal after the season, the Giants would find it easier to move on, as only his remaining signing bonus (approximately $22.2 million) would hit their salary cap if they were to cut him.

Like Darnold when he was with the Jets, Jones has struggled to win — and win over fans — in the New York market.

“Seriously, probably one of the toughest jobs in the league,” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “But he’s embracing it, doing a good job.”

Darnold’s arm strength has always been an asset, but the Vikings have been impressed with how he has picked up head coach Kevin O’Connell’s complicated offense in six months of study and practice. He was also voted by his new teammates as one of eight captains for the season.

“He can really turn it around. He’s a real leader. I’m excited for him. He blocks out all the outside noise because I think he’s going to prove a lot of people wrong and show who he really is as a quarterback with this opportunity,” running back Aaron Jones said. “It’s not about what you’ve done in the past. It’s about now. I really believe in him. We’ve had a chance to work with him, play with him, and he’s a special talent. A lot of people sleep on him, but he’s going to prove them wrong. Early favorite, comeback player of the year.”