JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Chris Chambers' debut with the Kansas City Chiefs went better than anyone could have imagined.

Five days after getting waived by San Diego, Chambers was in the starting lineup and in the spotlight Sunday at Jacksonville. He caught three passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-21 loss to the Jaguars (4-4), helping the Chiefs (1-7) turn a laugher into a nail-biter.

His performance gave the Chiefs hope they found another offensive weapon to take pressure off quarterback Matt Cassel and fellow receiver Dwayne Bowe.

"I made a few mistakes, a few mental errors," Chambers said. "But I came around with the game on the line."

No doubt.

Chambers got behind Jacksonville's secondary for a 54-yard score with 2:32 to play. Kicker Ryan Succop recovered an onside kick after it bounced off defensive lineman Atiyyah Ellison. Cassel hooked up with Bowe for 36 yards and then found Chambers near the sideline for a 5-yard TD.

The Chiefs made the 2-point conversion, cutting the lead to 3 with a little more than a minute to play. But Jaguars fullback Greg Jones recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Maurice Jones-Drew sealed the victory with a first-down run.

When it was over, though, the Chiefs couldn't stop raving about Chambers' contribution.

"He did a great job," Cassel said. "Anytime a guy like that comes in and has to learn a new offense, ask him to do a lot and he performs like that, you have to take your hat off. It goes to what kind of professional he is. We're lucky to have him."

The Jaguars had plenty of bright spots as they opened up a 24-6 lead.

Rookies Rashad Jennings, Jarret Dillard and Mike Thomas were impressive. David Garrard threw for 262 yards, including a 61-yard TD pass to Mike Sims-Walker.

Sims-Walker caught six passes for a career-high 147 yards. Jones-Drew ran 29 times for 97 yards, including a 10-yard TD run that gave Jacksonville a big lead - until Cassel and Chambers got on the same page.

"I'm glad we didn't quit," Chambers said. "We can build on this."

Cassel completed 23 of 39 passes for 262 yards and two scores. He was sacked three times and pressured way more often. But he found a rhythm late in the game, putting together consecutive drives that accounted for 139 of the team's 301 yards.

Chambers played a big role.

"We had him in there in a lot of situations and we weren't really being fair to him," first-year Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. "He only had a week to get ready and he made some plays. I've thought a lot of him ever since he was coming out (of college)."

The Jaguars, who rebounded from an embarrassing loss for the third time this season, refused to give the Chiefs much credit for the comeback.

"They were throwing the ball up, and a couple of receivers made some plays," cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "It wasn't like they were picking us apart or anything. It was just throwing Hail Marys down the field and they made some great grabs. That's nothing for us to be concerned about. When we had to get after them and put the game away, we did."

Until Cassel and Chambers connected late, punter Dustin Colquitt had the team's top three highlights. He had a 70-yard punt, a 59-yarder, and tackled Mathis by the dreadlocks after he returned a failed 56-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to get into a rhythm early on," Cassel said. "The guys made some big plays. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough at the end. We have to just start early."

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