SAN DIEGO -- For the past 12 years, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has used the same locker, taken the same route to the stadium and gone through the same pregame routine.
But with the Chargers potentially relocating to Los Angeles next year, Rivers could be experiencing all of those things one last time when San Diego hosts the Miami Dolphins in the final home game of the 2015 season at Qualcomm Stadium.
"I'll probably soak it in on the drive over there a little more than that past hundred-something times I've done it before a game," Rivers told reporters Wednesday. "Because I could get emotional thinking about it, riding down that hill for the last time in this stadium.
"Once you get there and you're playing, you're just trying to win a game. And if it were to be, you want to end it in a win. And if it's not, you still want to end it with a win, the way this year has gone."
Rivers is 55-28 as a starter at Qualcomm Stadium, throwing for 19,671 yards and 133 touchdowns. While the Chargers are limping through a 3-10 campaign, Rivers said he still has fond memories of the venue.
"The good outweigh the bad in that stadium over the last 12 years that I can speak of," Rivers said. "And I know there's been a lot more football played in there well before I got here. And I know that many fans have been to those games a lot more years before I've even been around. So I'm sure they have different kinds of emotions for different reasons."
"I've given it a little thought, even the thought that it could be playoffs-like, or it could absolutely be preseason-like. I could see it being on either end. It would be awesome given the situation that we could block out the fact we're 3-10 and just go, 'Hey, if this is the last one, let's make it the coolest Sunday ever there.'"Philip Rivers on the crowd reaction he expects Sunday
Rivers said he has appreciated the support from Chargers fans over the years, along with the interaction he has had with fans in the city he has called home for over a decade. With the Chargers struggling this season and the potential relocation of the franchise looming, Rivers was asked by a reporter what type of crowd he expects on Sunday.
"I have no idea," he said. "I've given it a little thought, even the thought that it could be playoffs-like, or it could absolutely be preseason-like. I could see it being on either end. It would be awesome given the situation that we could block out the fact we're 3-10 and just go, 'Hey, if this is the last one, let's make it the coolest Sunday ever there.'
"Obviously, us players would have a hand in that. Making it that would be us winning a game, which is something we've struggled to do eight out of the last nine. The emotional part is one thing. But I do think once we get there and the ball's kicked off, it's going to be like any other game."