As Jimmy Garoppolo continues to nurse a high ankle sprain, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Friday that backup Nick Mullens will start against the Giants on Sunday.

C.J Beathard will serve as Mullens’ backup as San Francisco looking to improve their 1-1 record at MetLife Stadium. The 25-year-old Mullens made his 2020 debut when Garoppolo went down last Sunday against the Jets, coming in after halftime and completing 8-of-11 passes for 71 yards and an interception in the 49ers’ 31-13 win.

Mullens expects better against the Giants.

“Now I just have a higher expectation for myself,” Mullens said this week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “That’s what carries me and pushes me. It’s my fourth year. There’s really no excuses to why I shouldn’t perform. And so that’s kind of what has kept pushing me.”

Mullens went undrafted out of Southern Miss in 2017 before signing with the 49ers.  He started the 2018 season on the practice squad before earning a promotion to the active roster after Garoppolo tore his ACL in Week 3. Mullens took over the starting job at midseason and threw for 2,277 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games. That included a 250-yard performance in a 27-23 Monday night loss to the Giants.

“He’s gotten a lot more reps than he did last time,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday. “But he played pretty well the last time he played and he usually gets most of his reps in camp, he gets a ton in scout team but it was really good for him this week to get three days in a row with the 1s and he looked ready to go.”

When the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV last season, Mullens primarily served as Garoppolo’s backup and only appeared in one game in 2019. In March, San Francisco assigned Mullens to a one-year, $750,000 exclusive-rights free agent tender.