Strategy Lessons from the Eagles’ Super Bowl Victory
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As a lifelong Eagles fan, heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX was a dream come true. The entire city seemed to have turned green overnight, with Eagles fans filling the streets and shouting “Go Birds!” at every turn.
As my wife and I strolled down Bourbon Street in our Eagles gear, the locals called us “Good Birds” — a contrasting reference to the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints’ archrival. The energy was electric, the camaraderie unmatched. Whether you're an American football fan or not, there are undeniable lessons that can be learned from the Eagles’ domination.
As the first quarter closed, a palpable feeling settled in the crowd. The Eagles’ defense had stifled Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, forcing multiple punts, while Eagles QB Jalen Hurts orchestrated a balanced offensive attack. The energy on the field and in the stands hinted that this was more than just a competitive edge for the Eagles — it was the dawn of a commanding performance.
By halftime, the Eagles had extended their lead to 24–0, a scoreline that surpassed even the most hopeful projections. The team and the fans had entered the game expecting intense competition, bracing ourselves for the relentless back-and-forth of a hard-fought win, but now, in this moment, we all felt it: this was not just victory within reach. This was dominance. This was a shift in reality.
Watching Hurts lead the Eagles to victory, it became clear that their success wasn’t just about talent or luck. It was the result of strategy, preparation, and execution — all of which translate directly to business success. The way the Eagles approached the game offered a masterclass in leadership, discipline, and resilience, and any business looking to build a winning strategy can take a page from their playbook.
Breaking Down the Game
Every great game — whether in sports or business — has a clear structure: a winner and a loser, a scoreboard that tracks progress, and competing sides, each with its own identity and culture. The best games captivate us because the outcome is uncertain, but the criteria for success are undeniable.
In business, just as on the field, victory isn’t handed out for effort alone — it’s earned through planning, implementation, and perseverance.
So, what does it take to win the game? There are at least five layers to that question, and if you establish them before you step onto the field, you can gain a competitive advantage. Those who prepare to win before the first play begins are the ones who shape the final score.
1. Make Sure Your Team Knows the Score
In football, the scoreboard is always visible, ensuring players, coaches, and fans know exactly where things stand. This clarity creates urgency, focus, and accountability. Businesses need the same level of transparency.
In business, success should be unmistakable — not a vague approximation or an argument for "close enough." Too often, companies set KPIs that blur the lines between achievement and effort, creating room for subjective interpretation rather than definitive results.
It’s the difference between measuring success by touchdowns versus an obscure stat like "average rushing yards on third down in the opponent’s territory." When the year, quarter, or project ends, people justify falling short with, "I was aiming for 51, and I hit 49.5 — so I was close."
But as Yoda wisely put it: "Do or do not, there is no try."
Business should be measured the same way. Either we win or we don’t. Either we achieve the goal, or we don’t. Clarity in measurement drives accountability, and accountability drives real success.
Companies like Volkswagen use balanced scorecards to track performance metrics across finance, customer experience, operations, and employee development. Businesses that provide clear visibility into performance:
Keep teams aligned with key objectives
Foster a culture of accountability
Enable data-driven decision-making
Without a clear “scoreboard,” teams struggle with confusion, disengagement, and lack of urgency. Everyone needs to know what winning looks like.
2. Understand Your Competition
The Super Bowl is a zero-sum game — one team wins, one team loses. Business is no different. Market share is finite, and only the strongest companies thrive. The Eagles understood that to beat the Chiefs, they had to outthink and outplay them.
Successful businesses:
Track competitors and adjust their strategies accordingly
Innovate to stay ahead of the curve
Focus on delivering a superior customer experience
No company thrives by ignoring the competitive landscape. The Eagles didn’t ignore Mahomes’ brilliance — they prepared for it.
Similarly, Apple maintains its competitive edge through a strategic blend of innovation, vertical integration, and adaptability. By controlling both hardware and software development, Apple ensures a seamless user experience across its product ecosystem, setting itself apart from competitors. This approach allows for rapid innovation and maintains high-quality standards, reinforcing customer loyalty and market dominance.
Apple, like the Eagles, doesn’t wait for competitors to catch up — they dictate the game.
3. Write Your Own Playbook
A football team’s playbook is more than just a set of plays — it’s a codified system of winning behaviors. Every player on the Eagles' roster understood their role, knew what was expected, and executed within a structured system. When adversity hit, they didn’t abandon the playbook; they relied on it.
A well-thought-out strategy is only part of the solution. Without discipline in following the playbook, even the best plans fall apart. Strategy is not what you say you do — it’s what you actually do.
A business playbook should include:
Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Clear protocols for decision-making
Defined workflows that ensure efficiency
Having a playbook in place prevents decision fatigue and ensures that your team isn’t constantly reinventing the wheel. In a high-pressure Super Bowl setting, players can’t afford confusion — just like your employees can’t afford ambiguity in their daily roles.
4. Execute Plays with Confidence
A great plan is meaningless without proper execution. The Eagles had a structured system where every player understood their role. Even in moments of adversity, they didn’t abandon their approach — they trusted the process.
In business, execution separates top performers from the rest. Companies that thrive:
Establish structured workflows and standard operating procedures
Track key performance progress
Encourage accountability and disciplined execution
Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ tight end, admitted after the game that it wasn’t talent that cost them — it was execution. A brilliant strategy without follow-through is just wishful thinking.
“Not taking advantage of the play call and executing them,” Kelce said, when asked where the team went wrong. “There’s a lot that goes into it.”
The Eagles’ success was built on habit stacking — the principle of consistently layering small, positive habits over time to create peak performance. From strength training to game film study to daily conditioning, their excellence wasn’t the result of a single breakthrough moment but a series of compounded efforts.
Excellence isn’t about doing one thing right — it’s about doing many small things right, every single day. Businesses that execute using the right habits experience compounding success over time.
Hurts captured it best: “It all comes down to how we execute ... our approach ... and playing with good rhythm.”
5. Embody Success with Your Culture
A playbook and exceptional execution translate into a company’s culture and identity. The Eagles didn’t just win with skill — they won with identity. Their victory over the Chiefs serves as a compelling study in how a team's identity and culture — rooted in humility and hard work — can drive success. This ethos, championed by key figures like Hurts and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, fostered a collective resilience and determination that propelled the team through challenges and onto the championship stage.
The Eagles didn’t just have a game plan — they had a team identity. They were physical, disciplined, and relentless. Their culture wasn’t something they figured out on Super Bowl Sunday; it was something built over seasons of intentional leadership.
A powerful example of this mindset comes from Jason Kelce, the former Eagles center, who famously declared during the team’s Super Bowl LII parade: “Hungry dogs run faster.”
This phrase embodies the underdog mentality that has long defined the Eagles. It speaks to grit, determination, and an unrelenting desire to win. The teams that succeed — whether on the field or in business — aren’t always the most talented; they’re often the ones that want it the most and are willing to put in extra work.
Conversely, the Chiefs entered Super Bowl LIX with a focus on achieving historic milestones, notably aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. This ambition may have inadvertently shifted their emphasis toward personal and team records rather than the immediate task at hand. Mahomes, for instance, faced immense pressure to secure this "three-peat," a narrative that dominated much of the pre-game discourse.
This focus on legacy and record-setting possibly detracted from the team's preparation and adaptability.
Great companies create strong culture by:
Having a clear mission and values that guide decision-making
Building an environment that supports high performance
Maintaining humility and a willingness to adapt
The best teams — and businesses — never let past success breed complacency.
Champions Are Made Before Game Day
Championships aren’t won in a single moment of brilliance — they’re forged long before the lights shine brightest. They take shape in the relentless grind of training camp, in the discipline of film study, in the quiet hours spent refining skills in the weight room.
Hurts emphasizes the importance of consistent effort and preparation in achieving success. He often says, "Rent is due every day," highlighting the need for daily commitment to one's goals.
“Rent is due every day.”
The same is true in business. Success isn’t about one game-changing decision — it’s about the small, consistent actions that create a foundation for long-term dominance. Winning organizations invest in their people, build structured processes, and create habits that drive momentum.
The Eagles’ Super Bowl victory wasn’t a fluke; it was the culmination of preparation, execution, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. The same playbook applies to business. Companies that dominate their industries aren’t simply reacting to opportunities — they’re creating them. They operate with a clear strategy, execute with discipline, embrace competition, foster transparency, and build a culture of relentless improvement.
Success isn’t reserved for the lucky; it belongs to those who prepare, adapt, and execute at the highest level. So, the real question is: Are you running your business like a championship team, or are you waiting for a lucky break?
The ones who win — in sports and in business — are those who refuse to leave victory to chance.
For more insights on strategy, innovation, and competitive advantage, stay tuned for the next edition of the Outthinker newsletter.