Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Jack Del Rio (right) watches as Reggie Williams (11) catches a pass from Byron Leftwich in the fourth quarter of their National Football League game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville on Monday night. The Jaguars won 9-0. - Reuters

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP):

DESPITE THE return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers had their nine-game winning streak ended by the Jacksonville Jaguars 9-0 in the National Football League on Monday night.

Wearing protective padding around his midsection, Roethlis-berger returned to the Super Bowl champions' line-up barely two weeks after having an emergency appendectomy. He was far from effective, though, and Jackson-ville's defence had a lot to with that.

The Jaguars intercepted Roethlis-berger twice, and held Willie Parker to 20 yards on 11 carries.

Josh Scobee kicked three field goals for the Jaguars (2-0), who earned their first shut-out in almost three years.

The Steelers (1-1) kept it close all game and had the ball with about five minutes to play, but Rashean Mathis intercepted Roeth-lisberger's slant pass and returned it into field goal range. Scobee kicked his third field goal, a 42-yarder with 4:26 to play. He had a 31-yarder late in the third and a 32-yarder earlier in the fourth.

Mathis picked off another one with 1:44 remaining.

Whitewashed

It was the fifth time the defending Super Bowl champions had been whitewashed. The 1980 Steelers were blanked once, and the 1981 Raiders were shut out three times.

The Jaguars' Byron Leftwich completed 26 of 39 passes for 260 yards. Fred Taylor, whose best game came against the Steelers in 2000, ran 22 times for 92 yards and caught three passes for 29 yards.

Reggie Williams and Matt Jones were even more impressive.

Williams caught eight passes for 95 yards, including a 48-yarder on a short crossing pass on third down. He beat Deshea Townsend, then juked Tyrone Carter and nearly outran everyone else. Despite getting tackled, he put Jacksonville in position for Scobee's second field goal with about six minutes remaining.

Jones finished with six catches for 73 yards - and each of the first receptions resulted in first downs.

Roethlisberger, the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, completed 17 of 32 passes for 141 yards.

It was Roethlisberger's first regular-season action since the scary off-season motorcycle accident that nearly cost him his life.

The Steelers star broke his nose, upper and lower jaw, eye socket bones, and got a concussion during his June 12 accident.