J.J. McCarthy took a playful shot at Dan Campbell after Lions' loss

The Detroit Lions returned from their bye week looking to improve to 6-2 on the season with a win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were running out J.J. McCarthy, who returned from an ankle injury suffered in the second game of the season. Surely, the Lions' defense would find a way to thrive against McCarthy, right?

Instead, the Lions lost 27-24 to the Vikings. McCarthy didn't put up ridiculous yardage in the game, but he didn't need to. He completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while also running in for a touchdown. This all comes after the Lions' defense sacked McCarthy five times and pressured him 14 times.

On Monday, McCarthy posted an image gallery to his Instagram profile of the game on Sunday. He poked fun at the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell with his caption, which read, "knee caps are intact."

Vikings QB J.J.McCarthy pokes fun at Dan Campbell after defeating Lions

It's so conflicting. McCarthy helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship. Now, he plays for the enemy of Lions fans — the Vikings.

Lions fans all know what McCarthy is referencing. It's Campbell's viral quote during his introductory press conference, where he talked about the team overcoming adversity. That is when Campbell brought up biting knee caps.

"So this team's going to be built on, we're going to kick you in the teeth, all right? And when you punch us back, we're going to smile at you, and when you knock us down, we're going to get up. And on the way up, we're going to bite a kneecap off," said Campbell, h/t ESPN.

Campbell was criticized and mocked for these comments, especially during the early stages of his tenure. But he has since turned things around for the better, as the Lions under his tutelage have been Super Bowl contenders for the past couple of seasons and in this current campaign.

The Lions have dealt with numerous injuries during this season, but still managed to have a winning record thus far. But on Sunday, it just wasn't Detroit's day.

The defense held the Vikings to just 258 yards of offense on 59 plays. But in the red zone, the Vikings scored three times on five trips, all by McCarthy. Meanwhile, the Lions converted on just one of three red zone trips.

McCarthy did get hit hard during the game, but he managed to get the win in the important rivalry matchup. Now, things are much more interesting in the NFC North. The Lions have their chance at revenge against the Vikings on Christmas Day.