Russ Washington was vacuuming a car Friday morning — it might’ve been a Nissan, he said, but he wasn’t sure; the models run together these days, particularly when business is this busy. He kept the conversation quick before returning to work at National City Car Wash, a business he owns that opened in 1992.

Washington also owns a Chargers record, one for career longevity.

Not after Monday.

It barely has been discussed leading up to Monday night’s game against the Steelers . Maybe, that is because Philip Rivers has been so steady, so available, that his presence behind center has come to seem a foregone conclusion. The Chargers quarterback will set a franchise record when he steps onto the field at Qualcomm Stadium , as he makes his 149th consecutive start.

He and Washington sit tied for 148.

The latter, now 68, built his streak from 1970 to 1980 at right tackle.

Washington’s reaction when told his record is about to be broken resembled that of others when approached this week at Chargers Park. He was surprised to hear of it; it wasn’t on his radar.

“Well, that’d be great,” Washington said. “Who’s going to break it?”

Rivers.

“All right. He’s a tough guy,” said Washington, who largely credits his own streak to luck. “He rises to the occasion. I’d like to congratulate him. … The training staff has a lot to do with it, too, with the treatment they give.”

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One hundred and forty-nine.

That spans every regular-season game since Rivers became the Chargers’ starter in 2006. In that same 10-year span, for comparison, the Raiders have started 14 different quarterbacks. The Browns have started 13. The Buccaneers , Rams and Vikings all have started 12 with the Bills , Cardinals , Chiefs and Dolphins at 10.

Charlie Whitehurst spent six seasons as a Rivers backup.

He threw zero regular-season passes in that time period.

Not that anyone needs it, but the Steelers will offer a reminder Monday of what life without the regular starter looks like. Franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger , part of the same 2004 draft class as Rivers, will miss his second straight start to a sprained ligament in his left knee. Mike Vick, 35, will start in his place.

Only Eli Manning, at 171, has a longer active streak of consecutive NFL starts than Rivers.

Rivers’ run is not all about durability. It's about effectiveness, too.

He has totaled a quarterback rating of 120 or higher in 38 games. Since 2006, that is more than the Bills (six), Rams (six), Redskins (six), Browns (seven) and Giants (11) combined. Last year, Rivers reached the mark in an NFL-record five straight games. The Chargers, 5-0 in that stretch, are 35-3 overall in such weeks.

As records go, the consecutive-start streak is an important one for Rivers.

It began after he spent his first two NFL seasons developing behind Drew Brees .

“That one means a lot,” Rivers said. “It really does. That was something I was — I hate to say proud of because it’s being blessed with health and protection and the guys up front and all those things — but that was one of my favorite (marks) in college, being able to play 51 games in a row.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to be out there every game that I’m here, and obviously, I wasn’t those first two years. Again, that’s not all my doing, obviously. But I’m thankful I’ve been able to be out there for my teammates and also credit them for all they’ve done to help me be out there.”