FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots changed about half their starting defense after last season. So far the overhaul has worked well.

The latest success came in Sunday’s 27-21 win when Leigh Bodden’s interception late in the first half foiled one Baltimore Ravens threat and a stop on fourth down in the fourth quarter ended another.

And one of Baltimore’s touchdowns came on a recovery in the end zone of Tom Brady’s fumble.

“You only give up 14 points on defense, there’s something to be said for that,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “We’d like it to be less. We would have liked to convert on more third downs and tackled better, and there were a lot of things we could have done better.

“But, at the same time, giving up 14 points on defense, that’s not bad defense.”

Since last season, safety Rodney Harrison and linebacker Tedy Bruschi retired and cornerback Ellis Hobbs, linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive end Richard Seymour were traded. Star linebacker Jerod Mayo has been out since hurting his knee in the first quarter of the first game against Buffalo.

But in four games, the defense has allowed just six touchdowns.

Against the Ravens, who came into Foxborough averaging 34 points a game, safety Brandon McGowan continued his strong play. His fumble recovery on the opening kickoff allowed the Patriots to get off to a 3-0 lead.

“It feels good,” he said. “It lets us know that we’re a tough team, a tough defense and that we can make some plays.”

Bodden’s interception was the first of the season for the Patriots.

The Patriots are ranked eighth in the NFL in total defense, allowing an average of 287 yards. The team has given up 17.8 points per game, but the defense has allowed an average of just 14.2.

Belichick evaded questions Monday about possibly signing 40-year-old linebacker Junior Seau, joking he would have to check out video of Seau on his reality TV show to make sure he’s in shape. Seau, who played the last four games for the Patriots last season after starting the season without a team, is starring in a show called “Sports Jobs” on the cable network Versus.

“I notice he was doing some bull riding or bull stomping or the bulls were stomping him,” Belichick said. “We’ll have to look at that bull riding video and see what he looks like.”

Seau was in Boston recently to serve as the Washington Capitals’ equipment manager and ride the Zamboni at the TD Garden.

Seau has said he would be happy to come back if Belichick calls, but that the coach would have to negotiate with Versus on his availability. The Patriots, he has said, are the only team he would play for.

Notes: Sunday’s game against Denver (4-0) will be the fifth straight the Patriots will play against a team without a loss. “We haven’t really watched a tape of a team that’s lost a game yet and you can say, ‘Well, this is how so-and-so beat them in the regular season,'” Belichick said. … Linebacker Prescott Burgess was signed by Baltimore off the Patriots’ taxi squad. The Ravens had traded the linebacker to the Patriots last month for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

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