Britt Assombalonga poked in Ashley Fletcher’s deflected shot after 19 minutes to hand Middlesbrough maximum points from the encounter.
Derrick Williams was sent off on the stroke of half time for Blackburn Rovers.
Middlesbrough played in a 3-4-2-1 formation with the Super Eagles captain, Mikel playing the deep-lying midfield role for the Boro for the entire duration of the game.
Mikel’s presence added a lot of grit and perseverance to Middlesbrough’s midfield setup as they recorded their 14th win of the season.
Teessiders are now fifth in the Championship table with 54 points from 32 games- seven points off the automatic promotion place.
Middlesbrough will host 18th placed QPR in their next game on Saturday.