DETROIT -- November was going to be a big month for the Philadelphia Eagles. It turned out to be a big mess.

After their Nov. 8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles were 4-4. Their next three opponents all had losing records. With a sweep, the Eagles could have been 7-4 -- in first place in the NFC East -- when they faced the New England Patriots on Dec. 6.

Instead of sweeping, the Eagles got swept. Their embarrassing 45-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving represented a new low for coach Chip Kelly’s team. By scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown, the Eagles avoided the biggest margin of defeat of the Kelly era.

Mark Sanchez was sacked six times in Thursday's loss to the Lions. AP Photo/Jose Juarez

The Eagles began their collapse on Nov. 15 with a 20-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins at home.

That was followed by a 45-17 humiliation last week courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now this.

In four days, the Eagles allowed 90 points, 951 yards and 10 touchdown passes.

They are 4-7 with that date with Tom Brady and the Patriots next on their schedule. The state of the NFC East -- no team took a winning record into Week 12 -- gave the Eagles an opportunity to overcome a poor start and get into the division race.

They squandered that opportunity, one embarrassing loss at a time.

What were they thinking? With rookie cornerback Eric Rowe playing in place of an injured Nolan Carroll, the Eagles thought it would be a good idea to let the inexperienced Rowe handle Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Safety Walter Thurmond was late giving Rowe deep help on Johnson’s 25-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Rowe was on his own for Johnson’s 5-yard score in the third quarter.

Just to show they’re fair, the Lions lined Johnson up on the right side from the 3-yard line. Rowe wasn’t involved. Veteran Malcolm Jenkins was the victim, as Johnson caught his third touchdown of the game.

One reason to get excited: There wasn’t much. One positive note: If the Eagles are somehow able to come back in 10 days and beat the Patriots, it will be that much more unexpected. After losing three consecutive games to some of the NFL’s worst teams, the Eagles will be prohibitive underdogs against the best team in football. As we said, there wasn’t much.

One reason to panic: There are two reasons -- the offense and the defense. Both were wretched for the second consecutive week.

The Eagles couldn’t run the ball or throw the ball effectively. Their defense couldn’t stop the Lions on the ground or through the air. It was as complete of a breakdown as you’ll see from an NFL team.

Coming on the heels of the team’s similarly wretched outing against Tampa Bay, expect more questions about whether players are responding to Kelly and his staff. There will no doubt be more speculation about Kelly’s future. Will he be the Eagles’ head coach beyond this season or will he find a way to return to the college game?

A strong effort here would have signified that Kelly had a firm grip on this team and could get it turned around. An effort this weak and ineffective is the sort of thing that gets coaches fired.

Fantasy watch: DeMarco Murray gained 19 yards on one of his first-half carries. On his other 13 carries, Murray gained a total of 11 yards. With Ryan Mathews out due to a concussion, Murray had an opportunity to get more work.

Ouch: The Eagles lost two starters to ankle injuries in the first half. Left tackle Jason Peters, who has been hampered by a back injury for a month, left the game during the Eagles’ first offensive possession. Carroll went down with a broken ankle in the second quarter.

Lane Johnson moved from right tackle to replace Peters. Detroit defensive end Ziggy Ansah took advantage with a career-high 3.5 sacks.

Rowe replaced Carroll and was beaten for two touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford to Johnson.

In the second half, wide receiver Josh Huff was evaluated for a concussion and did not return.