That means Andrews made $271,764 for a night off in the Windy City.

Before last night, Andrews had been rotating at right guard with Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles, but offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg hinted during the practice week that the rotation system could be hurting the line's continuity.

"Yeah, sure, a little bit," Mornhinweg said. "Those are the decisions you make."

Mornhinweg added, however, that he didn't think the rotation system at guard was a huge problem for the line.

Cornerback Sheldon Brown, meanwhile, returned to the playing field one week after straining a hamstring in the Eagles' loss at San Diego.

Brown extended his team-high streak of games played to 122 in the regular season, and 134 counting the postseason.

Stuck in the middle

Jeremiah Trotter started at middle linebacker as weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan sat out for the second straight game with a hyperextended knee.

Will Witherspoon moved from the middle to replace Jordan, as he had the previous game. The Eagles tried Chris Gocong last week against the Chargers, but that experiment did not work, and he was back at the strong side.

Even though Trotter started, Joe Mays received the bulk of plays in the middle during the first half. The second-year pro had plummeted down the depth chart after he lost his bid to replace the injured Stewart Bradley during training camp. But he was pressed into service last night upon his return to his hometown.

Mays recorded a tackle for a loss on the Bears' first series, dropping running back Matt Forte for a 1-yard loss. Trotter also made a nice stop, holding Forte to no gain on Chicago's first play from scrimmage. For the first time this season, Trotter was able to celebrate by pantomiming an ax chop.

Next year's schedule

With stops in Chicago, San Diego, and Oakland (everybody stays in San Francisco), this season was a good one for Eagles fans who like to travel.

With that in mind, here's a look at next year's schedule.

In addition to their six division games against Washington, Dallas, and the New York Giants, the Eagles will play the AFC South and NFC North. The AFC South road games will be at Jacksonville and Tennessee, with the Eagles playing at home against Indianapolis and Houston.

The NFC North road games will be at Chicago and Detroit, with home games against Green Bay and Minnesota.

Not quite as good as this season: The best road game for non-football purposes will likely be against one of three NFC West teams - Arizona, Seattle, or San Francisco - to be determined by the final standings. The Eagles will also play a home game against an NFC South opponent.

Extra points

Second-year cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu dressed for the first time in his career. . . . Also inactive: running backs P.J. Hill and Brian Westbrook (concussion), safety Quintin Demps (ankle), guard Mike McGlynn, and wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee).

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.