Following a groundswell of public protests Protest and online petitions Request , prosecutors dropped murder Killing charges , granted Giving her bail Legality , and charged Judgment_communication her with a lesser offense Attack of `` intentional assault Attack '' .

St. Louis posted Sending an NFL-best 14–2 regular season record Recording , led by quarterback Kurt Warner and `` The Greatest Show on Turf '' offense .

In December 2017 , Slager was sentenced Legal_rulings to 20 years in prison , with the judge determining Deciding the underlying offense was second-degree murder Committing_crime .

The Panthers finished Process_end the regular season with a 15–1 record Recording , racking up the league 's top offense , and quarterback Cam Newton was named Name_conferral the NFL Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) .

This was the first Super Bowl in which the league 's number one-ranked offense ( Raiders ) faced Perception_active the league 's number one-ranked defense Defending ( Buccaneers ) .