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Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis breaks up a pass intended for Steelers receiver Cedric Wilson late in the fourth quarter. Click photo for larger image. 
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ben Roethlisberger returned to play quarterback for the Steelers last night and his offense celebrated by laying a jumbo egg.
It wasn't all Roethlisberger's fault that the Steelers failed to score a point as the Jacksonville Jaguars hung a 9-0 loss on them, their first setback since Dec. 4 and first shutout in three seasons.
But the young quarterback, who missed the opener after an appendectomy Sept. 3, looked anything but sharp in his first pro shutout. He played with a slight fever, but coach Bill Cowher said he was OK to play.
"We never got into any kind of rhythm," said Cowher, whose team slipped to 1-1.
Roethlisberger had two passes intercepted in the final five minutes by Rashean Mathis -- the cornerback who beat the Steelers last season when he returned a Tommy Maddox interception for a touchdown in overtime.
"This is the type of game we expected because the Steelers have a great defense and we have a great defense," Mathis said.
One Mathis interception set up a 42-yard field goal by Josh Scobee, who had three field goals and accounted for every point last night. All came after a scoreless first half.
Roethlisberger also got little help from his receivers and running game. Several of his passes were dropped in the first half and the Jaguars (2-0) extinguished the Steelers' ground game. The Steelers managed only 26 yards rushing. Willie Parker had 20 yards on 11 carries.
Roethlisberger completed 17 of 32 passes for 141 yards.
Cowher said he thought Roethlisberger looked good early in the game, but his receivers let him down.
"I thought we dropped balls early that if we catch then we could get into a rhythm," Cowher said.
The Steelers' offense crossed the 50 just once and got no closer than Jacksonville's 46.
"I went out there and did not play very well tonight," Roethlisberger said. "Not only did I let my offense down, but I let my defense down as well."
The Steelers previously were shut out Dec. 14, 2003 by the New York Jets, 6-0, in a snowstorm. The previous time a defending Super Bowl champ was shut out was in 1981 when the Raiders were blanked.
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It's been worse Last night wasn't the Steelers' best offensive performance, but it wasn't the worst. Here's a look at the Black and Gold's lowest offensive outputs:
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"We weren't able to do anything," receiver Cedrick Wilson said.
Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich had more success than his counterpart. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 260 yards and was intercepted once. Reggie Williams caught eight passes for 95 yards for the Jaguars. Fred Taylor ran 22 times for 92 yards as the Jaguars more than doubled the Steelers in total yardage, 362-153.
"We couldn't get off the field," Steelers linebacker Joey Porter said. "We could not make them one-dimensional, either the run or pass. Normally, we take away one."
It was only the third scoreless first half in the NFL since 2003. The previous time the Steelers were involved in a 0-0 first half came in 1980 against the old Houston Oilers.
The most exciting moment of the half occurred on its final play. Leftwich dropped back from the Steelers' 45 and heaved a deep pass into the end zone. Matt Jones, a 6-foot-6 receiver, had his hands on the ball but defensive backs Tyrone Carter and Ike Taylor teamed to make sure he did not come down with it.
Jacksonville drove into Steelers territory on its first series but was stopped by good defensive plays -- a sack by Larry Foote, a tackle by cornerback Deshea Townsend to end a 3-yard pass play and Clark Haggans' first NFL interception.
The Steelers also made it into Jacksonville territory for the only time in the game on their second series -- but Hines Ward dropped a third-down pass to end the possession.
Both quarterbacks were plagued by dropped passes in the first half. Roethlisberger completed 8 of 13 for 60 yards. Leftwich completed 13 of 18 for 112 yards. Nine penalties were marked off in the first half, six against the Jaguars.
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Head coach Bill Cowher and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger discuss the Steelers' performance following the 9-0 loss to Jacksonville:
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"I thought he threw the ball really well," Cowher said of Roethlisberger's first half.
No field goal was tried by either team in the first half.
Cowher lost a challenge and a time out with 6:54 left in the third quarter when he requested a review of a catch by Matt Jones along the sideline. The referee upheld the third-down, 13-yard catch that gave the Jaguars a first down at the Steelers' 19.
The drive stalled at the 13 when a blitzing Foote forced Leftwich to get rid of the ball on third down.
Scobee came on to kick a 31-yard field goal for the game's first points with 5:24 left in the third quarter, giving Jacksonville a 3-0 lead. The drive carried 60 yards on 11 plays over 5 1/2 minutes.
At the end of three quarters, the Steelers were lucky to be trailing by just three points. They had 91 total yards to 265 for the Jaguars. They were 2 of 9 on third downs when they failed to convert on third-and-2 from their 42 early in the fourth quarter. They made 3 of 13 for the game.
"It was just all Jacksonville," Wilson said.
Scobee gave Jacksonville a 6-0 lead when he kicked a 32-yard field goal with 6:15 left in the game. Williams put that drive in gear when he turned a 15-yard pass into a 48-yard gain to the Steelers' 23. The Jaguars converted 6 of 18 third downs.
"We couldn't get off the field on third down," Cowher said.
Shutting out Cowher
Since becoming the Steelers' coach in 1992, Bill Cowher has been held scoreless only three times before last night. Here's a look at the losses:
| Team | Score | Skinny |
| at New York Jets Dec. 14, 2003 | 6-0 | The loss in a heavy snowstorm eliminated the Steelers from the playoffs. |
| at Miami Dolphins Sept. 20, 1998 | 21-0 | The offense produced just 200 total yards in Cowher's second shutout. |
| at Los Angeles Rams Sept. 12, 1993 | 27-0 | Rookie Jerome Bettis closed the scoring for the Rams with a 29-yard TD run. |
