In 2016, over a decade of suffering for the Oakland Raiders and their fans appeared to come to an end. With quarterback Derek Carr ascending behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, Oakland looked like a Super Bowl contender.

Then, one injury derailed those dreams. Carr suffered a broken fibula in Week 16, and the 12-4 Raiders fell in the wild card round.

Expectations were high entering 2017, but injuries, porous defense, and a declining offensive line kept Oakland from meeting them. They finished 6-10, and within a few weeks Mark Davis exchanged head coach Jack Del Rio for Jon Gruden.

In addition to their own struggles, the odds were stacked up against the Raiders. They finished with the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL in 2017 based on their opponents' final records.

Optimism is already high with the anticipated return of Gruden to the Raiders sideline, but as ESPN's Paul Gutierrez notes, next year's slate stacks up in the Silver & Black's favor as well:

A year after entering the season with the fourth-hardest strength of schedule, Jon Gruden's Raiders will have the third-easiest SOS in 2018…at least, based on opponents and their combined winning percentage from 2017, per ESPN Stats & Information.

While they have the third-easiest strength of schedule heading into 2018, that can change drastically by the time next season expires. Every year teams fluctuate (eight new teams made the playoffs in 2017), and injuries can skew the true quality of opponents, in addition to trades. For example, the Green Bay Packers finished 7-9 last year, but with Aaron Rodgers potentially in the fold for all of next season, they're a much tougher draw.

On the Raiders' schedule, the San Francisco 49ers fit this mold. They won their final five games with Jimmy Garoppolo starting, so while they only went 6-10 in 2017, they're expected to be much better next year. The same can be said for the Arizona Cardinals if they're successful in signing Kirk Cousins.

For now, the schedule plays into Oakland's favor, but by the time Week 17 comes to an end, their final SOS will likely be much different.