CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A solid defense. A quarterback that can make plays with his arm and his legs. A productive running game. Sound special teams.

This was the 2013 Seattle Seahawks.

This also could be the 2015 Carolina Panthers.

“Seattle won a world championship and got back to the Super Bowl [last season] with a very similar style: great defense and a quarterback [who] can run around and make plays,’’ ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said when asked if the Panthers (8-0) are a legitimate title contender.

“They beat Seattle in Seattle, so they’re for real.’’

Carolina coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman said after the 2013 season the Seahawks were the model they had to get to in order to win the NFC.

Their biggest deficiency then was the secondary, where Seattle had a huge advantage. That has been corrected over the past two seasons, particularly with cornerback Josh Norman emerging as the next Richard Sherman.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll noted similarities between the teams before Carolina’s 27-23 victory at Seattle last month.

“I always point out to our guys that their head coach is a defensive background guy,’’ Carroll said. “There’s something to that. They’ve always played really solid, good defense. They’re rushing for 130-something a game too, so there’s some similarities too in that makeup.’’

That each team spring-boarded to success after winning their division with a losing record is another similarity.

The Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7-9 record in 2011 and then won a playoff game. The Panthers won the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record in 2014 and then won a playoff game.

Seattle went 11-5 the next season and then won the Super Bowl in 2013 with a 13-3 regular-season record.

The Panthers are starting to get mentioned as a Super Bowl contender, having won 12 consecutive regular-season games since opening last season 3-8-1.

They are two games clear of their closest competitor in the NFC. The road to the conference championship could go through Charlotte like it did in Seattle in 2013.

Perhaps it’s too early, but let’s take a closer look at how the 2013 Seahawks and 2015 Panthers compare:

Record: The Seahawks opened with a 7-1 record and eventually got to 11-1. The Panthers are 8-0, having already beaten the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, considered the top teams in the NFC. Edge: Panthers

Quarterbacks: Russell Wilson had a Total Quarterback Rating of 61.2 for Seattle. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes and had 26 touchdowns to only nine interceptions for a passer rating of 101.2. He averaged 5.6 yards a carry on 96 rushes and scored one rushing touchdown. Cam Newton has a Total QBR of 50.5. He has completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and already has nine interceptions. He is averaging 4.7 yards a carry on 73 carries. He has five rushing touchdowns. Edge: Seahawks

Running game: Seattle averaged 136.8 yards a game (fourth in NFL) with Marshawn Lynch averaging 99.4 yards of that. Lynch also had 12 touchdowns. The Panthers are averaging 142.3 yards (first in NFL) with Jonathan Stewart accounting for 71.3. Stewart has three touchdowns. The biggest difference is Newton is on a record pace with 9.1 carries a game. The Panthers have more designed runs for him out of the read option. Wilson had fewer designed runs and averaged six carries a game. Lynch gets the edge over Stewart. But overall? Edge: Even

Receivers: Seattle’s top wide receiver was Golden Tate with 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns. The rest were a bunch of a role players in Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Luke Willson and Sidney Rice, That doesn’t make Carolina’s group of no-names in Ted Ginn Jr., Philly Brown, Jerricho Cotchery and Devin Funchess sound so bad. They already have eight touchdowns. Seattle’s group had 18 for the season. Edge: Even

Tight end: Seattle had Zach Miller, who caught 33 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns. The Panthers have Pro Bowler Greg Olsen, who already has 37 catches for 584 yards and five touchdowns. Edge: Panthers

Total offense: Seattle averaged 26.1 points a game. The Panthers are averaging 28.5. Edge: Panthers

Opposing QBR: Seattle’s defense held opposing quarterbacks to a league-worst 28.3 TQBR. The Panthers rank second in the NFL at 41.9. Edge: Seattle

Rush defense: Led by middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, Seattle had one of the league’s best front sevens but still gave up 101.6 rushing yards a game to rank 17th in the NFL. Led by middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, the Panthers have one of the league’s best front sevens but have given up 108.4 rushing yards a game to rank 15th. Edge: Seattle

QB pressure: The Seahawks ranked 18th in the NFL in sacks with 44. The Panthers rank fourth in the league with 25. They have done this with end Charles Johnson, second on the team’s all-time sack list, out for five games with a hamstring injury. They are getting solid pressure from their interior line, particularly from tackle Kawann Short with six sacks. End Michael Bennett led the Seahawks with 8.5. Edge: Panthers

Secondary: Sherman was the league’s top shutdown corner. He had eight interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and 18 passes defensed. Teams eventually stopped throwing to his side. Carolina’s Norman is being compared to Sherman. He already has four interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. Teams are starting to avoid him. These two are comparable. Carolina has no Kam Chancellor at safety or “Legion of Boom’’ nickname. Edge: Seahawks

Total defense: Seattle ranked first in total defense, allowing a league-best 13.6 points a game. The Panthers rank 13th in total defense, allowing 20.6 points a game. Edge: Seahawks