CHARLOTTE — The Panthers saw what the Seahawks were capable of in Week 17, so last night's Super Bowl win was no surprise.

But the way they built that team, and the way they executed a game plan, were also instructive to the rest of the league.

And the best news for the Panthers is that the execution is repeatable, once the personnel is in place.

The Seahawks, under general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald, built an entire football team, one that wasn't dependent on any one single unit to succeed.

Yes, they had a legendary defense, and that's coming from a franchise that also gave us the Legion of Boom.

But they also had a quarterback who was derided as a game manager who turned out to be far more than that. And the league's leading wide receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And a running game built around Kenneth Walker that proved itself capable of carrying the load.

Having that kind of broad-based roster, the kind that can pick up for other areas if one's not working right, takes time and people to accomplish, and it doesn't happen in just one way.

The Seahawks emphasize drafting well, but every team says that. They also complemented that with some aggressive free agency and trade moves to put together this team, but they laid in a base of talent first through some successful drafts from 2022 on, after trading quarterback Russell Wilson and moving in a new direction.

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan, who learned the business from Schneider in Seattle in his first seven years as a personnel man, saw it firsthand.

And as he's built out this Panthers team, he's made some aggressive moves in free agency, but he's also focused on building a stable base of talent. The roster he inherited in 2023 was deficient on the interior line, so he spent money on guards Rob Hunt and Damien to stabilize it. The next year, the biggest problem was run defense, so he spent money on the front seven and hard-hitting safety Tre'von to stabilize that unit.

He also complemented that by finding foundational pieces in the draft, beginning with offensive rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan as they continue to stack talent.

Now, the next challenge will be adding people on both sides of the ball to continue to build and get this roster to that kind of sustainable place.

The same is true when you think about what coach Dave Canales, who also grew up as a coach in the Seahawks organization, is working to build here.

Canales had to enjoy watching the Seahawks last night, because they won that game on the ground, with Walker earning Super Bowl MVP honors with his 27 carries for 135 yards.

That allowed quarterback Sam Darnold to move the Seahawks into field-goal range often enough early, during the portion of the game when Smith-Njigba was out while being checked for a concussion. Not every team can lose an offensive player of the year in the middle of the game and continue to function, but that's what the Seahawks were able to do.

And the best way to do that is by running effectively and often enough. It's not just a case of intent; it's about being able to. Building that 12-0 lead through three quarters and extending it to 19-0 in the fourth quarter created the condition for 32 team rushing attempts.

"Good things happen when you run the ball; you run the ball when good things happen," Canales likes to say. "It works both ways, and it's a part of who we are."

And that's what the Seahawks were able to do last night.

Make no mistake, the Panthers still have work to do to reach the level Seattle's at now. The Seahawks didn't get there overnight either.

But the building was patient, and required stability first before you can make those impactful additions late (like trading for defensive tackle Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones IV, and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, and signing free agents like Darnold, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence). And when it comes to game-planning, you have to be able to function in multiple ways, because there will be times when your preferred method isn't available.

The good news for the Panthers as they plot their moves for 2026 and beyond is that Morgan and Canales are working from a blueprint that is very familiar.

With enough time and the correct decisions, they could conceivably get there.

But the important part is that Morgan and Canales are operating from a similar platform, and are willing to take the time to build this right.

The Seahawks are at a different place than the Panthers, as well as the rest of the league.

But the thing the Panthers are trying to do is built in the same way.