By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington is one of the team's 18 pending free agents, but is not yet prepared to think about what that will mean for him after Sunday's loss in the AFC championship.

"Me and my wife, we're just going to take it a day at a time," Arrington said.

The fourth-year defensive back has seen a shift in roles while with the Patriots, including on Sunday. In the early portion of the season, he worked as the team's starting right cornerback before being shifting inside to guard slot receivers in nickel and dime packages.

Against the Ravens, he was forced to move back outside after teammate Aqib Talib suffered a thigh injury. Talib's injury, Arrington said, didn't change the Patriots' game plan against the Ravens.

"It's definitely a loss to lose a player with Aqib's caliber, but it's always the next man up we preach here," he said. "We kept the same game plan."

Arrington has experienced a number of big games while with the Patriots -- and stinging losses.

"They're not easy games to win," he said. "Especially when it comes playoff time. You know, the competition just gets better every week. They're tough games to win, but we were confident, we felt like we were prepared. We just fell short. I think Bill said it best, it's not a soft landing when it's this time of year. It's a hard crash. You just got to do your best as a team to stick together and just try to move forward."

Arrington will spend his offseason time here in the New England area. His wife is expecting a baby boy in March.

@zuriberry