The 4th & 1 Mentality

The Power of Fourth & One

We’ve all had those moments that come down to a single play, the 12th hour, the final day to get a deal done. In those moments, attention to detail, execution, and discipline are at an all-time high, with razor-thin margins of error.

As a competitor, I relished those moments. I loved having the game on the offense’s shoulders, especially on the offensive line, knowing that we had to gain one more yard or score a touchdown to win. Even if you played on defense, it’s the same mentality: stopping the opponent with just three feet to go, drawing a line in the sand, and refusing to let them pass. In those moments, there’s always a clear-cut winner and someone left hanging their head in defeat.

Discipline becomes the accumulation of focus, preparation, and communication where a single mistake can derail the entire operation and shift the momentum of a game. It takes countless repetition and stress testing yourself and your team to find any areas that need to be fixed or improved.

In business, it’s a little different. Fourth and one may take days, weeks or months to reach that crucial moment of truth where a decision must be made.

• Do you push across the finish line, or do you step back and reevaluate?
• Are you truly in a fourth-and-one situation where your strategy, skills, leadership, and execution will determine whether you win against the competition?

The ability to recognize when you’re in that moment, and respond with confidence, is what separates great leaders from the rest.

Great leaders trust their teams in these critical moments. They rely on their people to bring full attention to detail, focus, and execution, whether it’s closing a deal, finishing a project, or delivering a pitch.

Not every 4th & 1 means you should automatically go for it. The best teams and businesses analyze the situation, trust their preparation, and make the right call. Sometimes that means pushing forward with full force. Other times, it means stepping back to regroup and take another approach.

In 2019, we played the Seattle Seahawks in one of the biggest games of our season. They were playing well, and so were we. Their stadium is the loudest in the NFL, notorious for throwing off even the best offenses by disrupting communication and execution.

A pivotal moment came when we had the choice to play it safe and kick a field goal or go for it on 4th and 1. When Coach Harbaugh went up to Lamar asking him if he wants to go for it, he said, ‘Hell yeah Coach, let’s go for it!’ Harbaugh had the trust and faith in us to take that chance. We not only converted the first down, but we scored a touchdown that helped win the game. That moment changed our season. Lamar went on to win his first MVP, and we won the AFC North with a first-round bye in the playoffs.

That decision wasn’t just about a single play, it was about trust, belief, and execution. It showed that Harbaugh trusted the players, and the players trusted Harbaugh. That moment grew our confidence in ways we never imagined. We went on to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record and found success at a historic level.

Breaking Down the Moment:

• A unified mindset: Every individual on our team shared the same winning mentality. The moment wasn’t too big for us because of our preparation, experience, and leadership. We had confidence in our ability to execute.
• Decisive leadership: The leaders of our offense went to Harbaugh and expressed their belief in going for it. This all happened within seconds, decisions in these moments must be made quickly and with conviction.
• Execution under pressure: When it came time to perform, we delivered. We leaned on what we knew and trusted the preparation that had gotten us there.
• Focusing on our job: For me, in big moments like that, I always relied on one simple principle: Do your job. I knew that if I focused on my role, which is communicating, snapping the ball, giving my best effort, and executing my blocking assignment, everything else would take care of itself. And that’s exactly what happened.
• Embracing the moment: Instead of fighting the nerves, we used the excitement of the crowd to fuel our energy. Leaning into the moment, rather than resisting it, made us stronger and more effective.

Around The League

We’ve seen other teams around the NFL innovate their own 4th & 1 plays that convert successfully. Take the famous “Tush Push” by the Philadelphia Eagles. They took the conventional quarterback sneak play combined with a deep understanding of the rulebook (pushing a player from behind for leverage) to use it to their advantage.

When you have a high conversion rate in these moments, the correlation to winning becomes much stronger. You are able to sustain drives, increase efficiency, and increase your likelihood of scoring points.

Being strategic takes a balance of aggression and awareness, considering factors such as opponent strengths, game situations, and execution reliability. The best teams know when to push forward and when to pivot based on the circumstances. In business, the same principle applies. Success often comes down to innovation, preparation, and the ability to maximize every advantage within the rules.

When you win in those 4th & 1 moments, there’s no greater feeling. It strengthens bonds between teammates, coaches, the front office, and the entire organization. Those moments define the culture, magnify details, and reinforce a commitment to winning, toughness, and discipline.

The bridge between culture and winning is supported by trust, love, selflessness, determination, and resilience. When these values become deeply ingrained, they foster a commitment to growth and a shared purpose that drives teams to achieve greatness.

So as you face your next big deal, challenge, or decision, lean into the fourth-and-one mentality. Whether you’re tackling it alone and having to rely on your values, skills and preparation, or rallying your team to go for it, embrace the challenge. Scratch, claw, and dig your way to success. And when you get to the other side, you’ll come out stronger than you ever imagined.

Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s newsletter. I’m excited to see you next Thursday.

-Matt

Next week, I’m discussing the importance of adaptability. How to persevere when things aren’t perfect, remain flexible in the face of adversity, and avoid getting stuck in your ways.

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