JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Panthers head coach Dave Canales read the epitaph on Saturday's preseason loss at Buffalo, he began with one of the oldest football cliches.

"The story was in the trenches," he said after his first offense went three-and-out on three straight series and called it a day. ​

For the Panthers, that's been an adjustment throughout the summer, and the absence of starting guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis just magnified that last weekend.

Keep in mind, this is still a team without both starting tackles — Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, who will miss regular season time — in addition to the short-term shortages they experienced last week.

The Panthers are fortunate to have replacement tackles like Rasheed Walker (a three-year starter for the Packers) and Monroe Freeling (their first-round pick), and Hunt and Lewis are expected to be back on the field this week.

So as rough as last week's start might have been, it ought to get better soon, based on the evidence Canales has seen with his own two eyes.​

"Well, I mean, I wish people could see what's happening in practice; we're beating the crap out of each other out here," Canales said Monday, after another fully padded practice. "Last week we practiced four out of five days, really physical practices, and one of the first times I've had to like step in front of the room and say, hey, we need to bring these things back a little bit in some situations because of the tempo and how we're playing that way.

"In the game, the plan was to get no more than three series. The plan was to get them out of the game at the first quarter. I would have liked it to have looked different. I would have liked for the guys to extend drives, get some points, and see what's been happening out here come alive in the game. They're going to get another opportunity to do that this week."

Again, this week it should look different.

Without Hunt and Lewis, the Panthers started Chandler Zavala and Brady Christensen, who was appearing in his first game since tearing his Achilles last October. They did not have their best games, but Canales retains a trust based on time. ​

"These are guys we know," he said. "I'm expecting what we've always gotten out of Chandler and Brady, guys who can step in and fill multiple roles, and they've done a good job. They've done that well, so we'll just continue to push those guys, put them in different situations."

One of the first visible differences in practice this week was with Hunt and Lewis back, Zavala and Christensen were working in different spots.

Zavala was at center with the second line Monday, and Christensen was at left tackle (his college position). But Christensen has started at all five line spots during his time with the team. (Jake Curhan and rookie Albert Reese, who has also played tackle this camp, were the second guards on Monday.)

That's a lot of movement for a unit that's built on continuity, something they didn't enjoy last year, with 10 different starting lineups in the first 13 games, and 11 for the season.

Center Luke Fortner, brought in to replace the departed Cade Mays and Austin Corbett, acknowledged that it wasn't their best day, which is easier to recognize than accept.

"We didn't perform well; I think that's clear from the tape and the stats and how we did in those first few plays there," Fortner said. "I think we just got to improve playing as a group, and I know it's cliché and coachspeak, and it's coachspeak for a reason, right? As you guys know in this league, you hope for no injury, but injury happens, and no matter who runs out there on game day, we've got to be able to play well together. So I think the more and more reps we've gotten, the extra game, and thankfully that was only a preseason one.

"We've got plenty of time, so more reps."

That's why this week's joint practice with the Jaguars will be a valuable indicator for what it's actually supposed to look like. It's no accident that the inside run drills on Monday looked better with $150 million worth of guards in Hunt and Lewis back on the field.

"I think they're super important," Fortner said of the reps they'll get at the Jaguars facility and in Friday's game. "I think they're almost as important as those preseason games. I think getting out there versus another live defense, and you haven't gone against them, you get to spend a little time studying them pre-practice and everything, but to be able to go out there and get those live reps is just as important as any of those preseason games."

And for the Panthers' offensive line, every rep will be an important one, as they prepare for the adjustments which inevitably come.