No football metric measures how fast teammates rush to their quarterback’s defense, but the way the Bears responded Sunday at Soldier Field to an out-of-bounds hit on Mitch Trubisky revealed something as important as any of Trubisky’s numbers.

And this is a guy who finished the 34-22 victory over the Lions with a 148.6 passer rating.

On second-and-10 from the Lions 18 in the second quarter, Trubisky scrambled for a 6-yard gain before linebacker Jarrad Davis cheaply shoved him after the whistle into a sideline photographer. It was a dirty move depicting a dumb team. It also proved very telling for the Bears.

Incensed, several Bears players raced over to let Davis know just how unsportsmanlike his conduct really was, though they likely expressed it more colorfully. The visceral reaction to defend Trubisky by so many Bears underscored a connection even more valuable than the one between a quarterback and his receivers — the one between a leader and the locker room.

Winning quarterbacks tend to find friends in a hurry when opponents try to intimidate them. For the quarterbacks who fall into the other category, it can be a lonely walk to the huddle.

We already know after 21 starts what kind of quarterback Trubisky is, and his moxie matters greatly in the ongoing evaluation of the former No. 2 draft pick. We are witnessing a young passer improving his overall game by increasing his awareness, a quarterback in his first full season as a starter benefiting from a clever new offensive scheme but also from his own savvy. We are seeing the successful development of a bona fide NFL quarterback, a process that can be as awkward as adolescence — especially in Chicago.

At this early stage of his career, Trubisky’s intangibles outweigh the tangibles only because the Bears can count on them every Sunday. Whether he completes 76 percent or 56 percent of his passes, those qualities are his biggest strengths 100 percent of the time. They represent the easiest aspect of his game to control, and Trubisky does a nice job assuming all the responsibilities that come with being an NFL starting quarterback — elements of the role predecessor Jay Cutler never embraced. Cutler helped many Chicagoans earn a Ph.D in body language, and Trubisky’s consistently screams, “We can do this.”

Leadership is a lot like obscenity; you know it when you see it. And every Sunday for the Bears, you see it wearing No. 10. You saw how happy teammates were for Trubisky after his 4-yard touchdown run. It unleashed an emotional response that everybody who supported him through a difficult week understood.

It’s impossible to miss the way Trubisky engenders loyalty from teammates, whether they are defending him on social media or after a late hit. That loyalty translates into trust, which can aid a quarterback as much as a tight spiral on a cold, windy day. That trust comes in handy when 10 sets of eyes look at Trubisky for direction before breaking the huddle. That confidence is difficult to coach and conveys the instinct to lead that becomes more obvious with experience. Those factors combine to keep Trubisky focused on victories.

Acknowledging the value of chemistry and camaraderie in Trubisky’s game, as well as attitude and effort, would be moot if he lacked the talent necessary to be an NFL starting quarterback. He doesn’t. He’s on pace to become the first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history, and Sunday’s performance could earn him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He runs well enough to require defensive coordinators to assign a linebacker to “spy” on many third downs, and he reads defenses quicker every week. He has completed 65 percent of his passes with a 101.6 passer rating and 19-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The rest of Trubisky’s traits you have to watch every game to appreciate, the kind of things easy to miss by watching RedZone channel highlights or studying Pro Football Focus rankings. The polarizing range of opinions on Trubisky says more about the state of debate in sports and society than the rate of the Bears quarterback’s growth. The exaggeration of how terrible or terrific Trubisky is week to week, or even quarter to quarter, can be amusing or annoying, depending on the context. But it is hardly surprising. The restraint Trubisky demonstrated after the game when given the opportunity to lash out at naysayers was as impressive as anything he did during it.

The truth about Trubisky likely lies somewhere in the middle; he will be neither as bad as his critics contend nor as outstanding as his sycophants promise. He still has to prove he can win a shootout or lead a game-winning drive that starts inside the 20 with less than two minutes to go, but he has proved why general manager Ryan Pace became so enamored with his skill set. He uses his athletic ability to make plays and a humble personality to make friends. He is only 24, but it’s not hard to imagine the franchise quarterback turning 30 at Halas Hall.

So far, the best take on Trubisky is neither sexy nor sizzling — but should be satisfying for the Bears. He looks like a legitimate, top-15 NFL starter capable of leading a team willing to follow him anywhere, beginning with the playoffs.

David Haugh is a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune and co-host of the “Mully and Haugh Show” weekdays from 5-9 a.m. on WSCR-AM-670.