Is this the week Dennis Pitta returns to the Ravens?

Most signs point to tight end Dennis Pitta being back this week to face the Minnesota Vikings.

Now comes the waiting game. And it appears the Ravens will make everyone wait for it. Speaking to reporters during his Monday press conference, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said any decision on Pitta will likely come late this week.

"It will probably come down to the end of the week," Harbaugh said. "I've got a pretty good idea that he is doing well. It's just a matter of how well. Is he feeling good enough that the doctors feel like he's ready to play? That's really what it's going to come down to. He ran around well last week — you guys know that — and we'll go through the week this week and see how he does. And if he can play, he will, for sure. We want to get him up; that's our goal. But it's not 100-percent certain at this point."

However, according to the Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson, the Ravens have until Dec. 11 to activate Pitta.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ravens have until Dec. 11 to decide whether to activate Dennis Pitta from IR-designated to return, according to the NFL.</p>&mdash; Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) <a href="https://twitter.com/RavensInsider/statuses/407648335776854016">December 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
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So, in theory, the Ravens could choose not to activate Pitta this week if they don't think he's ready. A decision will have to be made by next Wednesday at the latest.

That will be the final point as to whether Pitta plays again this season or not.

Pitta has been practicing with the team the past two weeks but has yet to be activated from injured reserve-designated to return. Previous reports indicated that the next move could come before this game.

The Ravens sure could use Pitta sooner than later.