FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quarterback Tom Brady says his body feels good, which is fortunate for the New England Patriots because over the past decade, he has never been hit more through his first three games of a season.

It’s one of the more troubling statistics for the Patriots, as they are flirting with trouble if they don’t limit the number of hits the 40-year-old Brady takes: He already has been hit 19 times, a total that includes 10 sacks.

The last time Brady was hit that much through the first three games of a season was 2006, when opponents registered 20 hits (four sacks) over that span. But even that might be debatable because 15 of those came in a 17-7 loss at Denver, and there seemed to be a liberal interpretation by Denver’s statisticians on what constituted a hit that day.

Make no mistake about the 19 hits Brady has taken this year -- many of them have been significant.

Perhaps that’s why the first question Brady was asked during his late-afternoon Wednesday news conference was how long it takes for his body to recover after a game at this late stage in his career.

“It probably depends on the game,” he answered.

How about after Sunday’s win over the Texans, when J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus & Co. hit him eight times, with five sacks?

“I’m feeling pretty good today,” Brady said. “Honestly, I know you guys think I’m crazy when I say it, but probably when I was younger it was a lot harder for me. Now, I actually feel better faster just based on the things that I do.”

Tom Brady has already been sacked 10 times through three games. Jim Rogash/Getty Images

The things Brady does, also known as the TB12 Method, have helped him perform at a high level. There has been some good fortune involved, too, because had the Texans recovered his fumble on the last drive or secured an interception, the storyline would be altered. But those breaks went Brady’s way as he won back-to-back AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards.

As for the hits he’s taking, with some credit deserved for the opposition (Chiefs, Saints, Texans), here is some additional context:

He’s never been sacked more through his first three starts of a season.

Last season, for a comparison, he absorbed 15 hits and four sacks through his first three games.

The lowest number of quarterback hits he’s taken through the first three games is six (two sacks), back in 2010.

Brady said part of what helps him sustain taking those hits is his decision-making.

“I think decision-making is important for all players. I tell the receivers all of the time, ‘You catch the ball in traffic, you’re a 190-pound receiver, you’ve got 240-pound linebackers, to run and take that amount of force for one extra yard and then you miss three games, I don’t think that helps us much.’ It’s the same as a quarterback,” he said.

“You stand in the pocket, you have to learn to find the way down in a way that you’ll be able to get up and try to play the next play, especially with your right shoulder. I think for me, more than anything, I try to land more on my left shoulder than my right shoulder because you’ve only got one right shoulder, and I need this for a lot of throws. The more hits you take on it, then the harder it is to take. I just go the best I can do.

“There’s some luck involved, but let’s go again, baby. Let’s line them up and play.”