JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars started 0-8 and were being called one of the worst teams in NFL history because all eight losses were by double digits.

The eighth loss was a 42-10 rout in London at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

After a bye week, the Jaguars headed to Tennessee, which was 4-4 at the time. The Jags pulled off a 29-27 victory with the help of four turnovers and a safety. The Titans had a 279-160 advantage in yards, but the turnovers made the difference.

The loss was embarrassing for the Titans. But the victory was a springboard for the Jaguars, who won four of five games, including three in a row, and went 4-4 in the second half of the season to finish 4-12.

Now the winless Jaguars go to Tennessee again, this time after an 0-5 start. The Jaguars are 6 1/2-point underdogs, but they may be catching the Titans at the right time.

The Titans are 1-4 and have lost seven of their last eight home games. They led the Cleveland Browns 28-3 last week and lost 29-28 for the biggest home collapse in NFL history.

Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker suffered a thumb injury in the first half. And to add insult to injury, safety Bernard Pollard was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon on Cleveland’s game-winning extra point.

The big question this week is whether Locker, who didn’t practice Wednesday, will be able to play with his damaged thumb or whether Charlie Whitehurst will get the start. Locker missed 15 of 37 starts in his career with various injuries.

Whitehurst has a better passer rating than Locker (97.8 to 75.9) because he has thrown just one interception to Locker’s four. But Whitehurst lost his only previous start in Indianapolis, 41-17, and failed to lead the offense to any points in the second half against Cleveland after he threw two touchdown passes in the first half.

Whitehurst, who is more of a pocket passer than Locker, was in Seattle when Jaguars coach Gus Bradley was an assistant there.

“He’s very accurate and plays with very good poise,” Bradley said.

But Bradley said the Jaguars are preparing to face Locker while coming off their best defensive showing of the year, holding Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense to 10 points.

Jacksonville lost 17-9 because rookie quarterback Blake Bortles threw a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

“I think they’re understanding the difference between winning and losing in this league,” Bradley said. “You take a couple of plays here and there and the difference between a team that only has two losses and a team that has five like us (and) they’re seeing that it’s the small things (that make a difference).

“It’s a few more catches, third-down opportunities, and things like that can make a big difference. Our team feels like it is getting closer, but we’re still not there yet.”

The Jaguars will try to get there in Tennessee.

NOTES: CB Dwayne Gratz no longer has a concussion. Demetrius McCray started last week in Gratz’s spot and the Jaguars have to decide whether to stick with McCray as the starter. … WR Cecil Shorts missed practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury. … DE Ryan Davis (shoulder), WR Marquise Lee (hamstring), LB Paul Posluszny (knee) and LB Dekoda Watson (shoulder) were limited in practice Wednesday.