Freeney says no texts for Peyton this week

Dwight Freeney rested up this week.

Now he hopes to meet up with an old teammate.

In the backfield.

The Chargers’ top edge rusher is listed probable to go against Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Thursday night -- the first time the two Colts teammates of 10 years will oppose each other in a game.

“It should be good,” Freeney said Wednesday afternoon before boarding the team bus. “Hopefully, I get an opportunity to go hit him. But you never know. He obviously knows that I’m around. He’s not going to sit there and let me do anything.”

Manning, 38, is a five-time league MVP and the career leader in touchdown passes; Freeney, 34, is a seven-time Pro Bowler sixth among active players in career sacks.

When Freeney joined the Chargers in 2013, he said he thought a “million” times about what it’d be like to sack Manning, who in Colts practices was off limits. But injury sidelined Freeney all three games against Denver last year.

“It should be interesting, to say the least, to see him across the line,” he said Wednesday after packing for Denver.

Freeney said Manning was like a “big brother” to him with the Colts. The two have stayed in touch via text, but not this week.

“He’s a guy I’m going to try to hit a few times, so I don’t know how that text conversation is going to go,” Freeney said, laughing.

Freeney has played in all seven of San Diego’s games this year, exceeding the combined total of his top two backups entering the season, Melvin Ingram and rookie Jerry Attaochu. Ingram (hip) will miss his sixth consecutive game, and Attaochu (hip) is listed as doubtful.

Coming off Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Chiefs, Freeney sat out both practices. He suffered a knee injury in Game 4 against Jacksonville but has stayed in the lineup.

“Short weeks are never great,” he said. “They rested me a lot. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go.”