Seven games to go, 21 points to play for. Boro are regrouping at Rockliffe Park during the international break and working hard to plot their way to an automatic promotion place.
After a phenomenal start to the 'Week of Destiny', Aitor Karanka's side were beaten at Bournemouth last weekend leaving them with much still to do before May 2.
So which players will be pivotal in the run-in? Who needs to step up to the plate?
In this feature, Anthony Vickers, Dominic Shaw, Jonathon Taylor and Andrew Glover pinpoint the man they think could be key to Boro cementing a place in the Premier League.
Anthony Vickers on Lee Tomlin
It is time for Lee Tomlin to put January’s player of the month gong in the loft and set about winning the award for April - and bigger silverware for Boro.
Aitor Karanka’s team were at their best when Tomlinho was spinning Vincent Kompany and splitting defences for fun with twists and turns and changes of pace and killer slotted passes to pick out runs into the dangerzone.
But that panache has faded and spluttered in recent weeks and, the ball through for Patrick Bamford for the winner at Derby aside, his match-turning contributions have been sporadic and his impact minimal.
In the aftermath of his eye-catching skill at City Tomlin basked in the national pundits’ praise perhaps a bit too much.
The following games were marked by over ambitious attempted Hollywood balls that wasted possession and one too many tricks when a simple ball went begging, as if a silky step-over or drag-back was compulsory.
It isn’t. It loses momentum, invites a tackle and introduces risk when speed and simplicity would be lethal.
Maybe “he thinks he is better than he is.”
For Boro to dominate games again, to stretch teams and prise them open, Tomlin needs to get back to doing what he was doing in January: spotting movement up front and delivering well weighted, well timed, perceptive balls into the feet of team-mates quickly.
That would increase the tempo and penetration of the team and give Boro the edge in tight games. And then he may have a better gong to display.
Dominic Shaw on Kike
Imagine, Lord forbid, if Patrick Bamford aggravated the injury that's kept him out of the England Under-21 squad.
But even if he didn't, if he played every minute from now until the end of the season, Boro can't just rely on the young Chelsea striker to get the goals required in the home straight of the campaign.
And how important goals could be. There's every chance goal difference could be the decider on May 2.
Boro need to leave no stone unturned in their remaining fixtures.
So how welcome would a return to form for Kike be following the fortnight off?
The striker, brought in as the number one, has had to settle for a place on the bench as Bamford has grabbed the points and the headlines in recent weeks.
But Boro need more than one regular contributor to the goals scored column in the final seven games of the season.
Kike is clearly a confidence player in front of goal.
One sparkling display, one stunning strike, would spark an upturn in his self-belief.
The Spaniard looked every inch a class act at this level in the first half a dozen games of the season.
You wouldn't have bet against him topping the goalscoring charts in the Championship after the way he started his Boro career.
If he finishes the season in the manner he started it, the barren spell in between will be long forgotten.
Jonathon Taylor on Daniel Ayala
The stats don't lie - Boro are a much harder nut to crack when Daniel Ayala plays.
You just need to look at Boro's form since the Spaniard picked up a thigh injury at Blackpool on February 10 to realise his importance.
Before his injury, Ayala started 28 times in all competitions. Boro won 15 of those matches (54%), losing four (14%).
Since then Ayala has missed nine matches, not including the 4-1 win over Ipswich when he suffered an injury setback after scoring the opener.
Out of those nine matches, Boro have won three times (33%), losing five (56%).
To add, Aitor Karanka's side have not lost a single game with Ayala and Ben Gibson starting as a centre-back pairing.
Action Images / Paul Burrows 
Jordan Rhodes has a shot blocked by Dani Ayala in December
All of these things aren't merely coincidence. This suggests that Ayala could be the man to stabilise Boro's automatic promotion hopes and help the Teessiders back to the Promised Land.
His performances may not attract the same headlines as the strikers do, but that's nothing new.
Defenders attract attention when they make a mistake much more than when they excel.
Ayala could return for Boro's Easter double header against Wigan and Watford, and his timely comeback is so important.
Without the Spaniard, Boro's defence were cut open by sizzling Bournemouth, bullied by Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday, and hit with a sucker punch against Leeds.
It's time for Ayala, Boro's defensive lynchpin, to restore some much-needed order and help Karanka's men finish the job.
Andrew Glover on Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton hasn't proved to be the player I thought Boro were signing from Huddersfield.
For the most part, he's been much better than that.
Much was made of Clayton's goalscoring and bursts into the box for the Terriers, but under Aitor Karanka's tutelage he has developed into more of a complete player.
Alongside Grant Leadbitter as part of the midfield shield in front of Boro's defence, Clayton has controlled games and dictated the tempo.
The pair's finest hour came against Derby at home when they had the match by a string.
Ben Hoskins/Getty Images 
Adam Clayton of Middlesbrough holds off pressure from Marc Pugh of Bournemouth
In recent weeks, however, Clayton's form has dipped. His energy levels have dropped - perhaps unsurprisingly, given the volume of football he's played - and he's been the one being hassled and hurried rather than the other way round.
Most concerning, is the fact Clayton appears to have stopped taking risks, both on and off the ball. Now would be an ideal time for him to restore some of the early season ambition to his game.
An upturn in his recent performances would go a long way to ensuring Boro can own the midfield in the run-in and dominate games from the off.
And if he can find those shooting boots from his Huddersfield days, well, that would be a bonus.
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