CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Lonnie Marts found it fitting that the game ended with a big play by the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.

	Carolina's Muhsin Muhammad scored on a 60-yard TD pass to give the Panthers a 14-6 lead over Jacksonville Sunday, but the Jaguars came back to win it.

Marts batted away a 2-point conversion pass with 31 seconds left, securing Jacksonville's 22-20 victory over Carolina on Sunday and capping a week dominated by talk of Dom Capers' return to Charlotte as the Jaguars' new defensive coordinator.

"It's nice to know we can come through in the clutch like this, especially coming back with Dom," Marts said. "Dom's probably pretty excited."

Capers, who spent four years as Carolina's first coach but was fired after the Panthers went 4-12 last season, was barred by Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin from speaking to reporters about coming back to Ericsson Stadium. But Capers had plenty to tell his new players.

"He told us about the running backs, who was a good pass blocker, who runs north and south, who runs east and west and a little bit about their quarterback, and it pretty much was all true," safety Carnell Lake said. "He knows those people out there more than anyone."

Capers' defense didn't give up a touchdown last week in Jacksonville's 38-point victory over San Francisco, but Carolina scored twice in less than two minutes in the second quarter to go up 14-6.

The Jaguars came up big when they had to in the waning seconds, though, after Carolina's Steve Beuerlein threw his second scoring pass to Wesley Walls, this one a 1-yarder that gave the Panthers a chance to tie. Beuerlein's short conversion toss to Walls near the goal line was slapped to the ground by Marts, giving the Jaguars their third consecutive 2-0 start.

GAME NOTES

Jacksonville's Mike Logan, a kick returner and reserve safety, fractured his left ankle while running back a kick in the second quarter. Linebacker Tom McManus was driven to the Jaguars' locker room after the game with his right foot in a soft cast. Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said he had no information on the injury. Carolina defensive tackle Esera Tuaolo left in the fourth quarter with bruised ribs. He did not return. Wesley Walls had five receptions, giving him 176 with Carolina and tying him with former wide receiver Mark Carrier for the club's all-time lead. Jacksonville's final three possessions of the first half resulted in just 12 yards and no first downs.

"That's a pretty bitter type of experience when you have the opportunity to win a game like that and you don't make the plays," Carolina coach George Seifert said.

Mark Brunell engineered the Jaguars' comeback with a big boost from James Stewart. Brunell completed 12 of 18 passes for 147 yards in the second half and wound up with 214 yards on 20-for-32 passing.

Stewart rushed for 124 yards and two scores, including a 44-yarder with 1:48 left, and Mike Hollis kicked field goals of 36, 40 and 31 yards.

Stewart helped the Jaguars make up for the absence of top rusher Fred Taylor. Limited in practice all week by a sore left foot, Taylor carried five times in the first quarter before leaving with what the team called a slightly pulled left hamstring.

Beuerlein completed 16 of 26 passes for 216 yards and three scores, but it wasn't enough to prevent Carolina's third 0-2 start in the franchise's five years.

"Moral victories don't keep you in the NFL," center Frank Garcia said. "We've got to figure out a way to finish things off."

Brunell misfired on his first pass of the second half before finding the mark. He completed his next five, helping Jacksonville cover 78 yards in 14 plays to set up a 1-yard scoring run by Stewart that cut Carolina's lead to 14-12. Brunell's conversion pass to Kyle Brady was wide.

Brunell drove the Jaguars 93 yards on their next possession before dropping the ball while taking his left arm back to pass. Carolina linebacker Kevin Greene pounced on the fumble at the 14.

But the Panthers lost 4 yards in three plays and punted, sending Brunell back to work. He found tight end Damon Jones over the middle for 31 yards, setting up the go-ahead field goal by Hollis.

Beuerlein was the hot quarterback in the first half, completing four of five passes for 44 yards on a 71-yard touchdown drive that gave the Panthers their first lead of the season. The score came when Beuerlein found Walls on a crossing route for a 10-yard TD that made it 7-6.

After Jacksonville went three-and-out, Beuerlein made Lake pay for a gamble. When Muhsin Muhammad ran an 18-yard out pattern, Lake tried to step in to make the interception but missed. Muhammad caught the pass and went down the right sideline for a score that pushed Carolina's lead to 14-6.