CHICAGO — The Panthers offensive line had become a strength of this team after four weeks.

In one day, its future was thrown into doubt, and a cycle of adapting to injuries had started again.

Center Austin Corbett and right tackle Taylor Moton left the game and didn't return, robbing them of two of their most reliable blockers and leaders, for a line that had stabilized the pass protection and excelled as a run-blocking unit.

Corbett left the locker room with his arm in a sling and said he was getting an MRI when he returned to Charlotte. Moton left with an elbow injury and did not return.

In describing the injury, Corbett said he was trying to push the pile when he "felt the pop."

"So we'll get the official word tomorrow, but probably biceps," Corbett said.

His replacement in the lineup Sunday, Brady Christensen, missed the rest of last season after suffering a torn biceps in the opener. So he spoke slowly when asked about his close friend since they've been through a lot of rehabs together (Corbett's torn ACL in 2022 and Christensen's broken ankle both happened in the finale at New Orleans after they started the entire season.)

"It's the unfortunate part of games and the NFL and the league that we're in," Christensen said. "You know, it's hard to see, but you've always got to stay locked in and ready to go, and when your number is called, you've got to be ready to go."

Moton didn't return in the second half because of an elbow injury, an absence that is stark in contrast to his history.

Sunday was his 104th consecutive start since 2018, and he had 6,758 consecutive snaps entering Sunday's game without missing one.

That kind of durability has made him a staple here, and the new guy next to him — free agent guard Robert Hunt, admitted that it was difficult to witness.

"It's pretty tough, it's pretty tough," Hunt said. "But we don't know what it is really. So we go back, and we'll look, and let's see what it is, but no matter what, next Sunday is coming. So I had to be prepared for that."

Hunt said he was encouraging Moton on the sidelines, but it became obvious that the veteran tackle wasn't going to be able to continue.

"I was talking to him, letting him know I need him," Hunt said. "Me and him have done some really good things this year and I trust him, and I know he trusts me.

"So yeah, it's tough to see that guys you've been playing with every snap this year go down and, you know, you really can't. He tried, but he couldn't get back there. So, yeah, it's tough."

Backup tackle Yosh Nijman finished the game in Moton's spot. He has 22 career starts from his five years in Green Bay (71 total appearances), and they signed him in free agency this offseason along with Hunt and Damien Lewis to help add some stability to a group that knew none last year.

The Panthers cycled through seven different left guards and eight right guards last year when Christensen's injury in the opener started that spiral. Now, they're adjusting again, five games into the season (Lewis missed one game with an elbow injury but returned Sunday).

"We're going to keep fighting," Hunt said. "I believe in those guys, I believe that they're going to do a great job, and we go from there."

For quarterback Andy Dalton, the prospect of potentially taking snaps from a new center and trusting a new tackle was not an ideal outcome of a less-than-ideal day.

"When you get in the huddle, it's just making sure you're communicating well with everybody," he said. "I think it's obviously tough when two guys that are big pieces of this offense, big pieces of our front and I mean, you never want any of that stuff to happen.

"It is tough, but it's the way this business goes."